Recustructing net art__forever

Three works of net art have been recreated for the exhibition: Clubnetz by internationale stadt (1993–94), c@c — Computer aided curating by Eva Grubinger (1995) and implorer.com by Sebastian Lütgert (2002). All three works played an important role at the time. Clubnetz reveals the tight connections between net culture, net art and nightlife; c@c was created at a time when curators were becoming entrepreneurs and calls into question their role as gatekeepers, thereby functioning as a platform that defends the autonomy of artists. implorer.com exemplifies the Berlin net art tradition of appropriating corporate aesthetics and exaggerating their strategies to push them past their breaking point.

None of these works still exists on the internet. For this exhibition they have been re-created in various ways: Clubnetz reinterpreted as an app, c@c reconstructed, and implorer.com presented in an emulated environment. The artists will present their works and in so doing focus on both the process of their reconstruction and the historical context in which they were produced. afterwards, Annet Dekker will address the significance and challenges of net art for collectors, curators and artists from the perspective of art conservation, exploring how, rather than being treated as an object, net art must be understood as something active and performative.