ScreenSaverGallery
The ScreenSaverGallery is an online exhibition space and a net art project using screensaver as its medium. The project transforms this inherent software feature of operating systems into gallery space during the moments of inactivity. The gallery's software application is downloadable online, the exhibitions are changing automatically.
The ScreenSaverGallery was created in 2012 by a duo of Czech new media artists and researchers Barbora Trnková & Tomáš Javůrek alias &, publishing their works at the domain metazoa.org. In 2013, Czech curator, theoretician and artist Marie Meixnerová (Mary Meixner), has joint the project. Guest curators included Robert Sakrowski (DE), Dominik Podsiadly (PL), Anita Somrová (CZ), and Monika Szűcsová (SK).
As of April 2020, the gallery has hosted about thirty solo exhibitions by Jodi, František Pavúček, Kateřina Olivová, Florian Kuhlmann, Anthony Antonellis, Nanna Russett & Nick Britz, Krist Wood, Yoshi Sodeoka, Sara Ludi, Lorna Mills, Sebastian Schmieg, Karolína Kohoutková, Jan Robert Leegte, Jiří Suchánek, and others. In addition, it organised four international group exhibitions connecting different art institutions and artists from around the world, including Joanna Zylinska, Aram Bartholl, !Mediengruppe Bitnik & Low Jack, Andreas Bunte, ZhenZhen Qi and their students.
Besides providing a presentation platform for artists, the gallery also aims to experiment with situations in which the screensaver appears, the technical possibilities of the medium, and visual context it provides. It has been installed on more than 4000 computers around the world. The word goes that it is used mainly on personal computers and laptops of art professionals, including artists, theoreticians, curators and new media art students, but also in computer rooms at various universities and academies.
“The screensaver brings an element of surprise, as we can never predict at what point or situation or in what specific environment (often private) the work will start.” (Franc, 2020)
“ScreenSaverGallery is a gallery space with social/cultural responsibility, trying to help the positive transformations of our information and culture environments. We don't run exhibitions, we run screensavers!” (ScreenSaverGallery Manifesto)
Literature[edit]
- Romana Veselá (ed.), 11th PAF - Festival of Film Animation. Festival Catalogue, Olomouc: PAF, 2012.
- "Anthony Antonellis @ ScreenSaverGallery", Aqnb, 27 May 2013.
- Veronika Zýková (ed.), 12th PAF - Festival of Film Animation. Festival Catalogue, Olomouc: PAF, 2013.
- Veronika Sellnerová, "„Postinternetové umění vnímáme jako radost.“ #BarboraTrnková #TomášJavůrek", 2016.
- Marie Meixnerová, "Tomáš Javůrek a Barbora Trnková: O wi-fi výstavách & digitálním umění", Flash Art: Czech & Slovak Edition 10:42, 2017.
- Martina Bubíková (ed.), 16th PAF - Festival of Film Animation and Contemporary Art. Festival Catalogue, Olomouc: PAF, 2017.
- Barbora Trnková, Marie Meixnerová, "Nonhuman Art", in 17. Festival of Film Animation and Contemporary Art: PAF Olomouc Lapsus, Olomouc: Paf, 2018, p 87.
- Adam Franc, "Rozhovor o ScreenSaverGallery a projektu Unleashing Screensaver", Joinme: Journal of Interactive Media 2, Brno: TIM MU, 2019, pp 1-7.
- Monika Szűcsová, "Umelecký výskum dát ako revízia súčasnej digitálnej kultúry", Artalk.cz, 6 Dec 2019.
- "&/Play the Life / Screen Saver Gallery / on-line galerie ve spořičích obrazovek / 17.12. – 31. 12. 2019. Foto report", Artalk.cz, 18 Jan 2020.
- Adam Franc, "Jaký je zvuk atomu?", Artalk.cz, 21 Feb 2020.
