Techspressionism 2021

INTERNATIONAL ONLINE EXHIBITION

Techspressionism 2021 is a survey exhibition spanning a diverse field of artists from 26 nations around the world utilizing technology as a means of personal expression. The initial online call for entry received over 1200 artwork submissions.

The exhibition, curated by artists Colin Goldberg and Patrick Lichty, opened live on Zoom on October 26, 2021 at Techspressionist Salon #29.  Helen Harrison, Director of the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center in East Hampton NY, is the project’s Senior Advisor.  Many of the exhibiting artists had an opportunity to speak about their work at the online opening, which was recorded for posterity, and is available for viewing here.

When approached as a decentralized social sculpture, Techspressionism allows for societal change to be made, allowing participants in the movement to  actively work towards a more inclusive future for contemporary art.

Social media has been an important mechanism for democratization in the development of the Techspressionist Visual Artist Index, which has grown to over 270 artists from 40 countries since its inception in October 2020.  Since the start of the pandemic, the hashtag #techspressionism has been used on over 25K Instagram posts by artists around the world.

This exhibition aims to present innovative work in a broad range of styles, reflecting the expressive potential of electronic media, as well as focusing on curatorial inclusivity in terms of gender equality, an international focus, and sociocultural diversity. The show’s selections range from notable digital art pioneers and established contemporary artists to emerging artists gaining visibility online within the NFT space, social media and the Techspressionist online community.

Notable contemporary artists (as defined by Wikipedia) included in Techspressionism 2021 include Victor Acevedo, Suzanne Anker, Frank Gillette, Clive Holden, Patrick Lichty, Chalda Maloff, Steve Miller, Joseph Nechvatal, Michael Rees, Anne Morgan Spalter and Nina Yankowitz.

The exhibition includes works made available for purchase as NFTs from the following artists: Uli Ap, Davonte Bradley, Diana de Avila, Roz Dimon, Dubwoman AKA Giovanna Sun, Negin Ehtesabian, Colin Goldberg, Carter Hodgkin, Clive Holden, Renata Janiszewska, Patrick Lichty, Sean Mick, Lee Schnaiberg, ScoJo, Anne Spalter

TECHSPRESSIONISM 2021 ARTISTS

Exhibition Advisor: Helen Harrison. Curated by Colin Goldberg and Patrick Lichty.

Helen A. Harrison, the director of the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center in East Hampton, is the former curator of the Parrish Art Museum in Southampton and Guild Hall Museum in East Hampton.  She has also been a guest curator at the Queens Museum in Flushing, has taught at the School of Visual Arts, and currently holds an adjunct faculty position in Stony Brook University’s Department of Art.  From 1978-2006, she wrote art reviews and feature articles for the Long Island section of The New York Times, and she was the visual arts commentator for WLIU 88.3 FM, Long Island University’s NPR-affiliated radio station, from 2004-2009. Her articles, essays and reviews have appeared in numerous scholarly and popular publications, and she’s the author of several books, including, most recently, two mystery novels set in the New York art world.

Colin Goldberg’s work explores the relationship between technology and personal expression. His studio practice bridges multiple disciplines, notably painting, printmaking, photography, and digital media. Goldberg coined the term “Techspressionism” as the title for a solo exhibition in Southampton NY in 2011. It was first described as a movement in the 2014 WIRED article “If Picasso had a Macbook Pro” and later elaborated upon in a 2015 interview on the PBS show Art Loft. He is a recipient of grants from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation and the New York State Council on the Arts.

Patrick Lichty is a media artist/designer/animator, theorist, and curator of thirty years who works in areas of mediation, virtuality, experimental media, media archaeology, and activism. He has an MFA in Computer Art from Bowling Green State University, and is currently an Assistant Professor of Mass Communication at Winona State University. He is known for his work solo and with collectives such as RTMark, The Yes Men, Pocha Nostra, Second Front, Manifest.AR, Shared Universe, NPTeam, and editor of the journal, Intelligent Agent, produced by Christiane Paul. He is an Alpert/Calarts Fellow, Honorable Mention for Ars Electronica’s Golden Nica, and has had work included in bienniales including the Whitney and Venice.