Reincarnation of Media Art

This exhibition is guest curated by the two New York-based artists from exonemo.

In the 15 years since its opening, the Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media [YCAM] has worked with numerous artists from Japan and abroad to produce and present artworks that utilize media technology.
Works of media art often use computers and video or audio equipment. Consequently they are difficult to maintain over time due to mechanical breakdowns and changes in the technological environment. Art museums and research institutions worldwide are currently engaged in efforts to develop methods of preserving or restoring such works. In this exhibition we join forces with artists to consider the “death” of artworks and the possibilities for “reincarnating” them in the future by means other than conventional approaches to preservation.
With the art unit exonemo serving as co-curator, the exhibition features a massive “Mausoleum of Media Art” that houses no longer functioning media works by various artists. The voices of these artists encourage us to think about the meaning of an artwork’s lifespan and future, and to explore new ways of creatively transmitting artistic expressions and other forms of “culture.”