HUMAN/DIGITAL: a symbiotic love affair

‘HUMAN / DIGITAL: a symbiotic love affair’ is an exhibition on contemporary artists who take their inspiration from the Internet and digital technology. While the definition of Post-Internet Art is still being debated, the impact that computers, the Internet and new digital technologies have on contemporary artists is growing unabated. Collaborations and experimenting with concepts such as copyright and ownership are essential for artists working with technology. Over thirty artworks from the Brown Family Collection - from photography to video art, and from websites to installations - by 25 different national and international artists, including Jon Rafman, Constant Dullaart, Anne de Vries, Cory Arcangel, Jonas Lund en Rafaël Rozendaal illustrate the diversity of digital art. Visual spectacles on giant screens, digital compositions, video projections and spatial work; the artworks in this exhibition are all about our digital world and how we relate to it.

Art in the Digital Era
Highlights include the monumental work ‘A*, 2014’ by the American artist Tabor Robak, which is an ecstatic celebration of video games and computer-generated images that are both funny and grotesque at the same time. From the Belgian-American artist Cécile B. Evans, whose work was one of the highlights of the Berlin Biennale, the intense video work 'Self-Study for plagiarized Lover One' will be shown. The exhibition also includes works by Dutch-Brazilian artist Rafaël Rozendaal, who regards the Internet as a canvas and who made a name for himself with artworks in the form of websites which have attracted over 60 million visitors to date. The installation ‘Jennifer in Paradise’ by Dutch artist Constant Dullaart is an online homage to the first-ever Photoshopped photograph. The exhibition also includes work by Matt Lipps, David Lachapelle, Matt Collishaw, Ryan McGinsley, John Maeda and many others. The Kunsthal is the first gallery in the Netherlands to exhibit the latest spectacular Virtual Reality work by London-based artist Shezad Dawood, ‘Kalimpong’, which was a huge success during the recent edition of the contemporary art fair FRIEZE in London.

Besides being a major a digital attraction, the exhibition is also a meeting place where artists, collectors and the wide audience can explore the art world of tomorrow.

Mark Brown, collector of digital art: ‘It is only in the last five years that the art world has begun to recognise the importance of Internet Art. The digital artworks, which were bought for the Brown Family Collection, can now be seen together in a single exhibition for the first time.’

Emily Ansenk, Director Kunsthal: ‘Digital art is now being presented for a wide audience for the first time here in the Netherlands. The Brown family has an impressive collection that the Kunsthal is delighted to present to the general public. It’s a must-see for everyone with an interest in current trends in art’.

Join Shezad Dawood’s impressive virtual expedition
The English artist Shezad Dawood uses Virtual Reality to create captivating worlds. The Kunsthal is exhibiting Dawood’s recent work Kalimpong (2016) for the first time in the Netherlands. As part of this installation, and using Virtual Reality glasses, visitors can join a spectacular virtual expedition through the Himalayas, from a small town in West Bengal. They step into a layered world full of history, secret passages and snow fields under a starry night sky.
Art, history, technology and adventure in one!

This artwork is accessible for one person at a time, takes place under supervision and lasts approximately 15 minutes.

Official opening on Thursday 9 February at 7:30 PM at the Kunsthal The opening of HUMAN / DIGITAL will take place during Art Rotterdam on Thursday 9 February at 7:30 PM in the presence of Hugo, Carla and Mark Brown, and several artists.