The question of what impact the Internet has had on artists and their audience is explored in Manuel Correa’s documentary featuring a broad panel of interviewees--artists, curators, thinkers, and critics--who opine about the effect of the ever-increasing dissemination of artwork online. Some bemoan the result, arguing that viewers looking at reproductions--often with mediocre resolution quality to boot--are unaware of how much they are missing. Some gallery and museum curators also regret the loss of the sheer experience of seeing works in situ, in groups. But others applaud the democratization that wider distribution brings, including artists who are designing work specifically for the Internet, and commentators who are glad to see the stranglehold of elitism shattered (arguing that this will force a beneficial change in the marketing of art, which has become a business involving staggering wealth and attendant corruption). Some curators also talk about how they are devising innovative methods of presentation that will continue to make live viewing a distinctive experience, one that cannot be replicated online. The give-and-take here makes for an interesting argument that carries both practical and philosophical undertones, although Correa’s approach is technically conventional. In the end, the questions that #artoffline raises are similar to worries from the 1950s that TV would kill radio and movies, yet all three have not only survived but thrived. The same will likely be said about art. A strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)
#artoffline
(2015) 60 min. DVD: $24.95. IndiePix (avail. from most distributors). Closed captioned. Volume 33, Issue 3
#artoffline
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