International Project of Internet and Computer Art “Unauthorized Access: Hackers and Crackers” April 7–23 Educational Youth Center of the State Hermitage Museum
The aim of the project is to dispel the myth that all hackers are internet pests and hooligans. Hackers are also talented programmers who combine the search for new aesthetics with strategies of direct social action. Mainstream culture has conditioned us to see hackers in a negative light. However, if we examine the process itself, we soon realize that hacking is one of the most potent forms of creative expression—an explosive combination of network-based innovation, dynamic skill, and information sharing.
One of the main objectives of the international project Unauthorized Access is to establish an audio-video dialogue between net artists and viewers. The exhibition participants—hackers and net artists—often avoid showcasing their work in public institutions. For some, the exhibition in St. Petersburg will be the first opportunity to widely present their “binary masterpieces.”
At the exhibition, artists, “hacktivists,” and international experts in net art will present projects based on media performance, software modification, and direct audience engagement. The program includes a comprehensive database of net art works, a live online “unauthorized access” session (Jolanta Gora-Wita, New York), the media performance Meat Grinder (Sergey Teterin, Perm), a roundtable with Russian and international net artists, programmers, and curators, as well as lectures by Abraham Lubelski and Jolanta Gora-Wita.
St. Petersburg will be the first city to host the UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS festival. Subsequent exhibitions will take place in New York, Warsaw, Berlin, Tokyo, Beijing, and Valencia.
The project was initiated and organized by the American art activist group Worldartmedia (http://worldartmedia.com), with support from the St. Petersburg Arts Project Inc. (http://www.artpropaganda.com) and the State Center for Contemporary Art in St. Petersburg.
Curators:
Anna Frants, Abraham Lubelski, Jolanta Gora-Wita (New York)
Sofya Kudryavtseva, Marina Koldobskaya, Anna Kolosova (St. Petersburg)
About the Curators:
Abraham Lubelski (b. 1940) is a publisher, art consultant, collector, and performance artist.
Since 1995, he has been the publisher and editor-in-chief of NYARTS Magazine, a contemporary art publication. In 2005, ABC television aired a series of interviews featuring Lubelski as a leading expert in contemporary art. His projects have been featured in many influential magazines, including Life.
http://nyartsmagazine.com/lubelski/index.htm
Anna Frants is a New York-based media artist and curator, best known as the founder of the St. Petersburg Arts Project Inc., which promotes cultural exchange between St. Petersburg and the U.S.
The organization has curated over 20 exhibitions of Russian and American artists in New York, Baltimore, St. Petersburg, and Berlin. Her works are in the Kuosei no Sato Museum (Japan) and have been exhibited at the Chelsea Art Museum (New York), as well as in galleries across the U.S., Russia, and Germany.
In 1998, she received the top prize for best computer animation at the Planet Studio Award, a major competition in computer graphics.
Links to her work and projects:
Jolanta Gora-Wita is an independent media artist and curator based in New York since 1986.
In September 2002, her work was included in the Library of Congress collection in Washington, D.C.
She has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Europe and the U.S., including venues such as the Chelsea Art Museum, La Sapienza University in Rome, Schloss Goldegg in Austria, Siemens Nixdorf Gallery in Munich, and others.
Links to her work:
Project: Secrets of Hackers Revealed
Curators: Jolanta Gora-Wita and Abraham Lubelski
Featured works:
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“Unauthorized Access Online Session”
Participants: Z_UNIX_HACKERS, White HaCker, Phoenix Angel (Puyan Bedayat), DELTA HACKERS
Viewers will witness how computer and network security systems operate—and how ethical hacking is conducted using cutting-edge technology. -
Damien Catera – “Tapping into the Airwaves”
In this live performance, a custom algorithm samples signals from three radio stations simultaneously, showcasing how American radio continues to serve varied political interests in the 21st century. -
Hasan Elahi – “Hacking the Cell Phone” (Orwell’s Project: In Pursuit of Ephemerality)
After being wrongfully suspected by the FBI in 2002, Elahi began a long-term media project using tracking and surveillance technologies to document his daily life, turning surveillance into performance. -
Danja Vasiliev – “Proxy Server Dump”
A proxy server transforms any website into a form of trash art, challenging perceptions of content and aesthetic.
What is NetArt?
NetArt (from “network” + “art”) is a contemporary art form and practice that utilizes digital networks—primarily the Internet—as both medium and context. It is distinct from web design and the online display of traditional art (such as museum collections or gallery sites).
Key characteristics of NetArt include:
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Communication over Representation: The artist’s goal is not to impose a vision but to engage the viewer in creative dialogue.
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Freedom: From institutions, commissions, or political agendas.
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Interactivity and Speed: NetArt thrives in the fast-paced, responsive environment of the web.
NetArt works are often non-functional webpages that merge visuals, text, animation, and programming into an artistic experience, ranging from narratives to interactive installations. Their diversity includes hypertext fiction, new visual aesthetics, and user-experience-based experiments.
Studying and promoting NetArt offers a chance to witness a new art form evolving in a digital age.
