Abstract Art in the Age of New Media

“Abstraction as an art form emerged at the beginning of the 20th century following the introduction of photography, a medium allowing for the production and distribution of images that depict the reality of our physical world. The technological revolution led to a paradigmatic shift away from realistic representation and initiated a series of questionings about the nature and function of painting. Since then, artists have continuously explored non-objective depiction through the use of geometrical or informal shapes. Art movements such as Constructivism, Suprematism, Concrete Art, Abstract Expressionism, Tachisme, Minimalism, and Op Art successively brought new insights to abstraction. But how does abstract art remain so present in contemporary practices and what has new media brought to this stream of art history? [...]” 

Curated by Serena Tabacchi and Marie Chatel, the show brings together Banz Bowinkel, Robbie Barrat, Maurice Benayoun, Gordon Berger, Mathieu Merlet Briand, Mattia Cuttini, Damjanski, Brendan Dawes, Chris Dorland, Snow Yunxue Fu, Shohei Fujimoto, Darcy Gerbarg, Gibson / Martelli, Kjetil Golid, Bard Ionson, Joanne Hastie, Markos Kay, Mario Klingemann, Arnaud Laffond, Sara Ludy, Manfred Mohr, Casey Reas, Alex Reben, Aaron Scheer, Yoshi Sodeoka, Harrison Willmott, David Young.

“In Mathieu Merlet Briand's case, the collection and de-contextualisation of data allows for a study of internet materiality as he translates online images of natural environments into a fine weaving or texture. These strategies result in pieces that are non-objective but still representative, meaning that the content is derived from reality, despite the viewer being unaware of it.”

“With his ethereal compositions, Mathieu Merlet-Briand explores internet materiality. In #DESERT [& #FOREST] he gathers a database of online images depicting dunes of sand [& the woods]. Hues of orange and yellow [& green and yellow] remind of the physical reality of the photographed subject. Meanwhile, elements come together through algorithms, bringing a myriad of pictures to inhabit the canvas. The fragments add up to form an abstract, bi-chromatic whole. While withdrawing from their initial matter, they show a weaving of relics from the world wide web.”