An example of an image produced by the automatic running of filters in Adobe Photoshop Elements

Electronic art is a form of art that makes use of electronic media or, more broadly, refers to technology and/or electronic media. It is related to information art, new media art, video art, digital art, interactive art, internet art, and electronic music. It is considered an outgrowth of conceptual art and systems art.

Background[link]

The term electronic art is almost, but not entirely, synonymous to computer art and digital art.^[1] The latter two terms, and especially the term computer-generated art are mostly used for visual artworks generated by computers. However, electronic art has a much broader connotation, referring to artworks that include any type of electronic component, such as works in music, dance, architecture and performance.^[2] It is an interdisciplinary field and so artists often collaborate with scientists and engineers when creating their works. The art historian of experimental new media art, Edward A. Shanken is documenting current and past experimental art with a focus on the entwinement of art, science, and technology, as are, in France, virtual historians Frank Popper and Dominique Moulon.

Electronic art is often, but not always, interactive.^[3] Artists make use of technologies like the Internet, computer networks, robotics, wearable technology, digital painting, wireless technology and immersive virtual reality. As the technologies used to deliver works of electronic art become obsolete, electronic art faces serious issues around the challenge to preserve artwork beyond the time of its contemporary production. Currently, research projects are underway to improve the preservation and documentation of the fragile electronic arts heritage (see DOCAM - Documentation and Conservation of the Media Arts Heritage).

Art Festivals that use the term Electronic Art in their Name[link]

• International Symposium for Electronic Art (ISEA), organized approximately every two years since 1988, international;
• Ars Electronica Symposium, organized yearly since 1979 by Ars Electronica in Linz, Austria;
• Dutch Electronic Art Festival (DEAF), organized yearly since 1994 by V2 Institute for the Unstable Media in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
• Electronic Language International Festival (FILE) organized yearly since 2000 in São Paulo, Brazil.

• The Prix Ars Electronica is a major yearly award for several categories of electronic art.

Artists[link]

Notable artists working in electronic art include:

• Laurie Anderson
• Roy Ascott
• Maurice Benayoun
• Mez Breeze
• Maurizio Bolognini
• Angie Bonino
• Douglas Cooper
• Heiko Daxl
• Elizabeth Diller
• David Em
• Ken Feingold
• Ingeborg Fülepp
• Peter Gabriel
• Pietro Grossi
• Perry Hoberman
• Jodi (art collective)
• Eduardo Kac
• Knowbotic Research
• Liu Dao
• George Legrady
• Rafael Lozano-Hemmer
• Chico MacMurtrie
• Sergio Maltagliati
• Jennifer & Kevin McCoy
• Yucef Merhi
• Joseph Nechvatal
• Yves Netzhammer
• Graham Nicholls
• Melinda Rackham
• Martin Rev
• Ken Rinaldo
• David Rokeby
• Stefan Roloff
• Don Ritter
• Lillian Schwartz
• Ricardo Scofidio
• Michael Snow
• Stelarc
• Survival Research Laboratories
• Gianni Toti
• Norman White

Footnotes[link]

See also[link]

• Algorithm art
• Computer art
• Digital painting
• Digital poetry
• Digital art
• Tradigital art
• Evolutionary art
• Fractal art
• Generative art
• Image development
• Interactive art
• New media art
• Intermedia
• Multimedia
• Music visualization
• Systems art
• Computer art scene
• Computer graphics
• Demoscene
• Computer music
• Digital illustration
• EVA Conferences (Electronic Visualisation and the Arts)
• Artmedia

References[link]

• Sarah J. Rogers (ed), Body Mécanique: Artistic Explorations of Digital Realms, Columbus, Ohio, Wexner Center for the Arts, The Ohio State University, 1998
• Christine Buci-Glucksmann, "L’art à l’époque virtuel", in Frontières esthétiques de l’art, Arts 8, Paris: L’Harmattan, 2004
• Frank Popper, Art of the Electronic Age, Thames & Hudson, 1997
• Joline Blais and Jon Ippolito, At the Edge of Art, Thames & Hudson Ltd, 2006
• Oliver Grau (2003). Virtual Art: From Illusion to Immersion (Leonardo Book Series). Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press/Leonardo Books. ISBN 0-262-07241-6.
• Oliver Grau (Ed.): Media Art Histories, MIT Press/Leonardo Books, 2007.
• Christiane Paul, Digital Art, Thames & Hudson Ltd
• Donald Kuspit "Del Atre Analogico al Arte Digital" in Arte Digital Y Videoarte, Kuspit, D. ed., Consorcio del Circulo de Bellas Artes, Madrid, pp. 33–34 & 3 color images
• Lopes, Dominic McIver. (2009). A Philosophy of Computer Art. London: Routledge
• Robert C. Morgan Digital Hybrids, art press volume #255
• Frank Popper, From Technological to Virtual Art, MIT Press/Leonardo Books, 2007
• Alan Liu The Laws of Cool, Chicago Press, pp. 331–336 & 485-486
• Bruce Wands Art of the Digital Age, London: Thames & Hudson
• Donald Kuspit The Matrix of Sensations VI: Digital Artists and the New Creative Renaissance
• Frank Popper, Origins and Development of Kinetic Art, Studio Vista and New York Graphic Society, 1968
• Frank Popper, Die Kinetische Kunst-Licht und Bewegung, Umweltkunst und Aktion, Dumont Schauberg, 1975
• Frank Popper, Le Déclin de l'objet, Le Chêne, 1975
• Lev Manovich (2001). [Leonardo Books, The Language of New Media] Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press/Leonardo Books. ISBN 0-262-63255-1
• Dick Higgins, ‘Intermedia’ (1966), reprinted in Donna De Salvo (ed.), Open Systems Rethinking Art c. 1970, London: Tate Publishing, 2005
• Nicolas Bourriaud, (1997) Relational Aesthetics, Dijon: Les Presses du Réel, 2002, orig. 1997
• Rainer Usselmann, (2003)"The Dilemma of Media Art: Cybernetic Serendipity at the ICA London", Cambridge, Masschusetts: The MIT Press/Leonardo Journal - Volume 36, Number 5, October 2003, pp. 389–396
• Charlie Gere, (2002) Digital Culture, Reaktion ISBN 978-1-86189-143-3
• Lev Manovich, Ten Key Texts on Digital Art: 1970-2000 Leonardo - Volume 35, Number 5, October 2002, pp. 567–569
• Charlie Gere, (2006) White Heat, Cold Logic: Early British Computer Art, co-edited with Paul Brown, Catherine Mason and Nicholas Lambert, MIT Press/Leonardo Books
• Mark Hansen, (2004) New Philosophy for New Media (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press
• Frank Popper, Art—Action and Participation, New York University Press, 1975
• Frank Popper, Origins and Development of Kinetic Art, New York Graphic Society/Studio Vista, 1968
• Frank Popper, Réflexions sur l'exil, l'art et l'Europe : Entretiens avec Aline Dallier, Klincksieck 1998
• Yucef Merhi, Artists' Fellowship - 2009 Digital/Electronic Arts, New York Foundation for the Arts, 2009
• Margot Lovejoy Digital Currents: Art in the Electronic Age Routledge 2004
• Frank Popper Ecrire sur l'art : De l'art optique a l'art virtuel, L'Harmattan 2007
• Fred Forest Art et Internet, Editions Cercle D'Art / Imaginaire Mode d'Emploi
• Edward A. Shanken Selected Writings on Art and Technology http://artexetra.com
• Edward A. Shanken Art and Electronic Media. London: Phaidon, 2009. ISBN 978-0-7148-4782-5

External links[link]

• Stephen Wilson: extensive list of "information arts" links
• newArteest, list of prominent digital artists
• New Media Art book (wiki edition)