International Exhibition at IMRC Through Nov. 15

De.fragmentation, an exhibition featuring the works of 26 individual artists and groups from Europe, Asia and the United States/Maine, is open through Nov. 15 at IMRC, Stewart Commons. Sponsored in part by the Ministry of Culture of Slovenia, the exhibition was organized by IMRC’s recent Researchers in Residence — the group BridA — Tom Kersevan, Sendi Mango and Jurij Pavlica.

Other participating artists: Sheridan Kelley Adams; Pamela Barberi; Primoz Bizjak; Mark Durkan and Eilis McDonald; Florian Grond; Joakim Hansson; Reese Inman; Kensuke Koike; Marotta&Russo; Anja Medved; Irena Pivka, Brane Zorman/radioCona; Arjan Pregl; Project59 (Irina Danilova, Hiram Levy, Dan Tulovsky); Marcin Ramocki; Martin Romeo; Christian Rupp; Lena Lieselotte Schuster; Saso Sedlaček; Owen Smith; Maja Smrekar; Bogdan Soban; Abby Stiers, Alexander Gross, Isabelle Pelissier; Igor Stromajer; and Miha Tursič, Spela Petrič and Maja Murnik.

BridA/Tom Kersevan, Sendi Mango, Jurij Pavlica formed as a group in 1996 during studies at Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia. With its heterogeneous artistic activity within the broad field of contemporary and traditional artistic practices, it represents itself at important exhibitions, intermedia festivals, symposia and conferences at home as well as on the international scene. BridA’s production is based on painting, graphic arts, video, photography and multimedia installations. Their projects are marked by a constant artistic procedure from the two-dimensional surface in to three-dimensional space, in its work it more exposes the creative process than the final art product and it is occupied with content which refers to the problems of authorship and autonomy of an artwork, or of an artist’s role within contemporary society. Within this, it can link with ease artistic thought with science and the technological achievements. Their opus presents recognized strategies, characteristic of a generation influenced by the fine art paradigms of the new media from the 1990s. BridA works in Sempas. More information about the group is online.

In their curatorial statement, BridA noted: “De.fragmentation is a term which comes from technology. More specifically, it is related to the computer data storage system and concerns the process of rearranging data in order to speed up data retrieval. Upon reflection, this type of optimization simply means a more efficient use of the potential of such a device. Potential is not just something that is planned as part of the product design, it has a maximum, finite value. It is based on specific parameters, and determined only by existing needs and inventiveness/creativity. By rearranging data on the computer disk, thereby taking into consideration the device’s environment and record history, we create new electrical states, which mean a better device and progress in relation to the previous state … . The time and space which contemporary art occupies and in which it manifests itself also has potential of its own. The artist applies his or her creativity to rearrange it into different abstract and material structures. It draws upon a limited space and time for the sole reason of causing change in a given and opportune moment. This change is not irrelevant because it signifies progress. In the context of the showcased artworks and artists, defragmentation is therefore a word which highlights the process as something which necessarily improves on the previous state, an invention, art.”

The IMRC Researcher in Residence Program is made possible by support from the IntermediaMFA Program, the Department of New Media, The University of Maine Cultural Affairs/Distinguished Lecture Series, and the Alston D. and Ada Lee Correll New Media Fund.

De.fragmentation was made possible by support from Kulturni dom Nova Gorica, Pixxelpoint festival, the City Council of Nova Gorica, the Ministry of Culture of Slovenia, University of Maine Intermedia Program and the Correll New Media Professorship. More information about the exhibition is online.

The Masters of Fine Arts in Intermedia at the University of Maine provides substantial advanced study for individuals interested in interdisciplinary study in the arts. The program emphasizes intensive development of students’ creative and innovative abilities through a diverse engagement with multiple research processes, critical thinking skills and creative production tools and technologies. The visiting artist series supports and reflects the wide variety of disciplines represented by the program, including, but not limited to, art, new media, theater, dance, philosophy, art history, engineering, communications, media studies, music, psychology and natural sciences.