FISEA’93 Art Event Overview

october 29 to december 16, 1993

More than a year ago, planners for FISEA 93 aptly chose The Art Factor as the theme for this symposium. It is an appropriate theme because, for the first time, this event is being hosted by an art college – a place where new art forms are being discussed and can emerge. Moreover, it is appropriate because it is my belief that now is the time to emphasize the artistic over the technological aspect of this relatively young art form. Only if practitioners of electronic art have an understanding of both the history of art and contemporary aesthetics – with all its richness and diversity – will their art achieve its greatest potential as being the leading art form in the next century.

The Art Factor: International Exhibition of Electronic Art surveys the broad range of applications in electronic art today. While far from conclusive — large-scale installations and environmental pieces could not be included, for example — this exhibition establishes a solid foundation for the viewer. Like the technology in which it is based, computer generated art is sure to grow rapidly. Modern art has had a love/hate relationship with technology, at one moment embracing it as a panacea and the next rejecting it as a cause for all that is wrong in society. Nevertheless, the computer and its related technologies will take their place among the fundamental tools for making art.

More than 120 applications were received for this exhibition with 46 artists finally invited to participate. I’d like to thank the jurors Jim Dozier, independent curator and Judith Yourman, visual artist and Assistant Professor of Electronic Media, St. Olaf College, for their hard work in selecting this outstanding group of participants. Additional thanks go to Lisa Daehlin, gallery assistant; Anastasia Faunce, public relations; Bradford Smith, media center; Lars Mason, building services; and to the exhibition crew. Finally, I am grateful to the artists themselves for their cooperation and good humor throughout the entire process. My deepest gratitude goes to Roman Verostko for inviting me to participate in this project. It has been a rewarding experience indeed.