Through the Digital Evolution era, New Media artists used the technology available to make images to be viewed on a screen. From projections to television, computers, devices, applications, and games — generations of creatives have manipulated, innovated, probed, and progressed the Tech industry tools they utilize to create and present art.
Erasing the boundaries that until now separated the parallel fields of Art :: Tech, New Media artists are transitioning from being users of available technology to makers of thenext generation of innovation. The division of Art :: Tech has been broken through, and artists’ visions of what is technologically possible in the present is shaping our perspective future. Vive la Digital REvolution.
The CYFEST 10 DIGITAL MEDIA PROGRAM is a curated selection of short-format video works by established and emerging artists from cities where public screenings areto be held. Curated by Leah Stuhltrager, the program spans forms of screen-based art including animated gifs, net art, virtual reality, stop-motion, performance art, gaming, digital collage, and technology based innovation in film.
Participating artists:
Egor Kraft, Alexander Letsius (Russia)
Egor Kraft
Artist. Born in 1986 in Leningrad, USSR. Acquired artistic education in Moscow Rodchenko Art School of Photography and Multimedia (Russia), the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna (Austria) and Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London (UK). Over the course of the past few years he has participated in international group exhibitions and biennales, including Moscow Biennale for Young Art (Russia, 2010, 2016), Arsenale Biennale (Kyiv, Ukraine, 2012) and the parallel program of Manifesta 10 Biennale (St. Petersburg, Russia, 2014). Egor has had solo exhibitions in St. Petersburg, Russia, and Tallinn, Estonia. Currently lives and works in Berlin, Germany, and London, UK. www.egorkraft.com
Alexander Letsius
Artist. Born in 1984 in Leningrad, USSR. Since 2009 is involved in theatre performances as video artist. Co-founder of Tundra collective. Works by Tundra were shown at the Mapping Festival (Geneva, Switzerland, 2014), ArtFutura Festival (Spain, 2014), MIRA Festival (Berlin, Germany, 2016), etc. Lives and works in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Yuliya Lanina (Russia-USA)
Artist. Born in Moscow, Russia. Graduated from the Hunter College, CUNY (New York, USA). Her paintings, animations and animatronic sculptures portray alternate realities that fuse fantasy, femininity, and humor. Lanina’s work has been displayed at the Seoul Art Museum (South Korea), Moscow Museum of Modern Art (Russia), Ludwig Museum (Cologne, Germany), Cleveland Institute of Art (USA), 798 Beijing Biennial (China), and other venues. Revolt Magazine chose Lanina as one of their top ten New York City artists of 2013. Lives and works in Austin, USA.UK. www.yuliyalanina.com
Katerina Pits (Russia)
Artist. Born in 1990 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Graduated from the Kyiv State University. Founder of the musical project Ms. Upbringing, co-founder of Speculative Cowboys. Her next step was an attempt to support sound with appropriate visual content. The #VJkET project was created, and Katerina participated in numerous collaborations with different musicians and projects. Her works were shown at MARS Center for Contemporary Art (Moscow, Russia), Kiev Planetarium (Ukraine), Moscow Museum of Modern Art (Russia), Manifesta 11 Biennale (Zurich, Switzerland) and at various music and art festivals. Lives and works in Moscow, Russia.
Susan MacWilliam (Northern Ireland)
Artist. Born in 1969 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Her work explores the world of the paranormal and supersensory. With an interest in that which is on the periphery of the mainstream and falling beyond conventional fields of science and psychology she has studied phenomena such as dermo optical perception, table tilting, X-ray vision, ectoplasm and extrasensory perception. In 2009 MacWilliam represented Northern Ireland at the Venice Biennale (Italy). Her video works have been exhibited internationally and are held in the British Library Sound Archive. She is also a lecturer in Fine Art at the National College of Art and Design, Dublin, Ireland. Lives and works in Dublin, Ireland. www.susanmacwilliam.com
Boris Kazakov (Russia)
Artist, filmmaker. Born in 1964 in Leningrad, USSR. Graduated from the Institute of Machine Building LMZ-VTUZ (Leningrad, USSR). Kazakov started painting in the late 80s. In 1996 he made his first film “Nestlings of the Sea” using the technique of drawing on film which is traditional for parallel cinema. He also experimented with different methods of animation without camera and invented a way to shoot movies with a photo camera. Recipient of the Grand Prix of the Kinoshok Film Festival (Anapa, Russia, 1999). Lives and works in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Emily McFarland (Northern Ireland)
Artist. Born in 1987 in Omagh (Northern Ireland). Studied at the National College of Art and Design (Dublin, Ireland) before completing an MFA at the Glasgow School of Art (Scotland). Since 2014 she has exhibited both nationally and internationally. Recent exhibitions include those in Belfast (Northern Ireland), Nagoya (Japan), Seoul (South Korea), Townsville (Australia) and Dublin (Ireland). Lives and works in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and Glasgow, Scotland.
AES+F Group (Russia)
A Russian art group that was formed in 1987 by the conceptual architects Tatiana Arzamasova (1955) and Lev Evzovich (1958) and the multidisciplinary designer Evgeny Svyatsky (1957). Exhibiting abroad from 1989, the group expanded its personnel and name with the addition of the photographer Vladimir Fridkes (1956) in 1995. AES+F achieved worldwide recognition and acclaim in the Russian Pavilion at the 52nd Venice Biennale in 2007 with their provocative “Last Riot”, the first in a trio of large-scale, multichannel video installations that have come to define the AES+F aesthetic. The second of the series, “The Feast of Trimalchio”, appeared in Venice in 2009, and the third, “Allegoria Sacra”, debuted at the 4th Moscow Biennale in 2011. In 2015 AES+F presented the new project “Inverso Mundus” at the 56th Venice Biennale. They are also participants of other signature festivals and biennial exhibitions, including those of Adelaide, Havana, Helsinki, Istanbul, Kiev, Lille, Lyon, Melbourne, Sydney and Toronto. Works by AES+F have been shown in solo exhibitions in such prestigious venues as the Neuer Berliner Kunstverein (Berlin, Germany), ZKM (Karlsruhe, Germany), Kiasma Museum (Helsinki, Finland), Tate Britain (London, UK), Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum (Madrid, Spain), Russian Museum (St. Petersburg, Russia), and many others. The group received Sergey Kuryokhin Award (Russia, 2011) and the main award of the Kandinsky Prize (Russia, 2012). www.aesf.art
Joseph Michael (New Zealand)
Artist, photographer. Born in New Zealand. Michael embodies a magical balance between fine artistry and forward-thinking technical knowledge. Seeking out the rare and sublime in the natural world, Michael represents it with a combination of dynamic vision and cutting-edge technology. Always pushing the boundaries of the technology available to him, Michael has worked with revolutionary motion control techniques, built 3D time-lapse rigs and created 360-degree cinema experiences. Michael’s current project sees him projecting 360-degree 1:1 scale icebergs on buildings of significance. Lives and works in Auckland, New Zealand. www.joemichael.co.nz
Faith Holland (USA)
Artist, curator. Born in 1985 in New City, New York, USA. Graduated in Photography, Video, and Related Media from the School of Visual Arts (New York, USA). Her practice focuses on gender and sexuality’s relationship to technology. Her work has been exhibited at Elga Wimmer Gallery (New York, USA), Axiom Gallery (Boston, USA), DAM Gallery (Berlin, Germany), and other venues. She had her first solo show in 2015 at Transfer Gallery (New York, USA). Lives and works in New York, USA. www.faithholland.com
Cameron Askin (New Zealand)
Artist, designer. Born in New Zealand. He focuses on interactive graphic design and how technology advances visual expression. Lives and works in Berlin, Germany. www.cameronaskin.info
Carla Gannis (USA)
Artist. Born in Oxford, North Carolina, USA. She received a BFA in painting from the University of North Carolina (Greensboro, USA) and an MFA in painting from Boston University (USA). In the late 1990s she began to incorporate digital technologies into her work. Currently she is a professor at Pratt Institute (New York, USA). Since 2003 Gannis’s work has appeared in 20 solo exhibitions and numerous group exhibitions. Lives and works in New York, USA. www.carlagannis.com
Julia Zastava (Russia)
Artist. Born in 1982 in Moscow, USSR. Graduated from the Humanities Institute of TV and Radio Broadcasting (Moscow, Russia) and the Academy of Fine Arts (Vienna, Austria). Her works were exhibited at many venues, including Russian Museum (St. Petersburg, Russia), Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil (São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brasil) and PERMM Museum of Contemporary Art (Perm, Russia). Lives and works in Vienna, Austria. www.juliazastava.com
Polina Kanis (Russia)
Artist. Born in 1985 in Leningrad, USSR. Graduated from the Herzen Pedagogical University (St. Petersburg, Russia) before continuing her studies at the Rodchenko Art School of Photography and Multimedia (Moscow, Russia). She is a Kandinsky Prize winner in the “Young Artist” category (Russia, 2011) and Sergey Kuryokhin Award winner in the “Best Media Object” category (Russia, 2016). Solo exhibitions of Kanis’ art have been held at the 5th Moscow Biennale for Young Art (Russia, 2016), Manifesta 10 Biennale (St. Petersburg, Russia, 2014), and also in Baku, Turin, Kiev and other cities. Lives and works in Moscow, Russia. www.polinakanis.com
Tatyana Zambrano (Colombia)
Artist. Born in 1982 in Colombia. Graduated in Arts from the University of Antioquia, Colombia. She is interested in exploring video art language and works with experimental technology. Her artwork has been in the official selection at Rencontres Internationales Festival in Berlin (2014) and was selected for the Screening “Video Art in Latin America” for Getty Research Institute (2015).Lives and studies in Mexico City, Mexico.
Paola Michaels (Colombia)
Artist. Born in Bogotá, Colombia. Studied art, media and photography in Columbia and Argentina. Her production is focused in experimental cinema, video and object. Artist’s projects explore the limits between the natural, the artificial and the inanimate states. Mobility, territory and migration are also present in her production. Lives and works in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Bogotá, Colombia. cargocollective.com/tatyanazambrano
Andres Castaño (Colombia)
Artist. Born in 1986 in Bogotá, Colombia. After studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bogotá he continued his studies at the National Autonomous University of Mexico in Mexico City where he received his Master of Arts degree. Currently he is a member of the academic program at CAPACETE (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). Lives and works in Mexico City, Mexico, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Veronika Rudyeva-Ryazantseva (Russia)
Artist. Born in 1981 in Krasnoyarsk, Russia. Graduated from the Stieglitz State Academy of Art and Design (St. Petersburg, Russia) and Pro Arte Institute (St. Petersburg, Russia). In her work, she doesn’t limit herself to one media, combining video, painting, installation and drawing. Relegates herself to the “children of perestroika” generation; studies human being, identity issues and daily absurdity, ties between past and present. Participant of numerous exhibitions in Russia and abroad including such venues as the Winzavod Contemporary Art Center (Moscow, Russia), Russian Museum (St. Petersburg, Russia), Korjaamo Gallery (Helsinki, Finland), Linden Museum (Stuttgart, Germany). Her video work “Purification by Snow” is acquired into the collection of State Center for Contemporary Art (Moscow, Russia). Lives and works in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Zlye Group (Russia)
An anonymous art group consisting of an unspecified number of artists. It was created in Ekaterinburg, Russia, in the mid-2000s. Works of the group that used to turn up only in the streets and to have a provoking nature now could be seen ever more often in the halls of galleries and centers of contemporary art. Zlye Group works in mixed media and experiments with materials. Their dark irony and frequently harsh presentation not only justify the group’s name (“Angry Ones”) but also uncover sociocultural contradictions and create an immunity to drivel.
Michael Hanna (Northern Ireland)
Artist. Born in 1979 in Craigavon, Northern Ireland. Completed his MFA at the University of Ulster (Belfast, Northern Ireland). Hanna’s work stems from research into psychology and architecture, and takes the form of video installation. He has been involved in exhibitions in the UK and internationally including “Rencontres Internationales” at Haus der Kulturen der Welt (Berlin, Germany) and “Multiplicity” at NURTUREart (New York, USA). Lives and works in Belfast, Northern Ireland. www.michaelhanna.org
About the curator
Leah Stuhltrager
Gallerist, curator. Born in 1975 in New York, USA. In 1998 Stuhltrager opened one of the first galleries in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (New York, USA). In 2012 she founded The WYE (Berlin, Germany) to work with creative technology pioneers including Seedcamp, BOB/Tech Crunch Europe, The Berlin Film Society, The Reader Awards, Photo Berlin, Hardware Berlin, Made in NYC Media Center, NPR, Retune, among others. She has curated programming for Cyfest festival (St. Petersburg, Russia), SOFA (Bogotá Colombia), and Convergence (London, UK). Career highlights include projects at Lincoln Center (New York, USA), Coachella (Indio, USA), E-Halle (Basel, Switzerland), the Hermitage Museum (St. Petersburg, Russia), and the Oriental Pearl Tower (Shanghai, China). Lives and works in Berlin, Germany.
