Sakrowski (panke.gallery): Exhibiting and Contextualizing Net Art
Talks on Curatorial Practice
ZK/U BerlinSiemensstr. 27, 10551, Berlin, Germany
In “Exhibiting and Contextualizing Net Art,” Sakrowski reflects on his efforts over the past twenty years to find appropriate formats for exhibiting, contextualizing, and documenting net art. As an art historian, he is committed to creating a historical record of this avant-garde movement and the phenomenon of net art from its inception. His interest goes beyond opposition to the then-dominant paradigms of the art world—such as authorship, authenticity, and originality. Net art also addressed crucial questions arising from societal change from the post-industrial era to what is now called a networked society, developing a specific aesthetic in the process. In addition, the ephemeral and fragile nature of net art has made its preservation even more important.
In this talk, Sakrowski will introduce various exhibition formats and talk about his open curating platforms such as grid.org and openAR.art, as well as his online exhibitions on curatingyoutube.net. He will also provide insights into his last ten years as a curator at panke.gallery in Berlin. In addition, Sakrowski will present his interview and video formats, which are designed to document and provide context for net art.
Sakrowski holds a Master’s degree in Art History and works as a freelance curator in Berlin. From 1999 to 2003, he curated and organized exhibitions and lectures on net art as part of the project netart-datenbank.org. Since 2007, under the name CuratingYouTube.net, he has been deeply engaged with web video phenomena, and in 2012 he launched gridr.org, an online tool specifically designed for this purpose. In 2014/15, he worked as a curator for the transmediale festival under the theme capture all. Since October 2016, he has been directing and curating the panke.gallery. He is a founding member (2019) of the Center for Net Art. In 2021, he developed the open web platform openAR, designed to present and curate web-based augmented reality objects.