Jonas Mekas Pioneer Of Internet Art Presents Four Projections In Venice

Jonas Mekas has been a pioneer of internet art since 2006 when he started experimenting with new online audio-visual techniques.  In 2007, he completed a series of 365 short films released on the internet, one film every day, and since then has continued to share new work on his website. At the Spazio Ridotto, Mekas’ Birth of a Nation is presented. Four simultaneous projections display over 160 portraits of artists and directors that, with the artist himself, formed the history of independent cinema in America.

The Internet Saga at Zuecca Project Space’s Spazio Ridotto opens today, Tuesday 5 May 2015, for the 56th International Art Exhibition – la Biennale di Venezia. Curated by the curatorial duo Francesco Urbano Ragazzi in collaboration with Zuecca Project Space, the two part exhibition of film works by the renowned filmmaker Jonas Mekas is presented in two diverse locations. One part is on show in the newly opened Spazio Ridotto dedicated to digital projects and the second in the Palazzo Foscari Contarini, a Renaissance style historic home which now houses the first and only Burger King in Venice.

As part of the show, Mekas will perform a poetic reading To the Internet, written especially for the occasion, at the Spazio Ridotto on 7 May 2015 10:30PM. This will commence a 24 hour screening of the artist’s works and through the night, the Spazio Ridotto will remain open to offer visitors a relaxed evening for viewing Jonas Mekas’ pioneering films.

 The continuation of The Internet Saga, at the Palazzo Foscari Contarini is curated by Francesco Urbano Ragazzi and will open on 6 May 2015 at 7:00PM. This exhibition will showcase previously unseen work by Mekas and the artist’s infamous sound diary To Petrarca with film strips of the artist’s work installed in the windows of the former palazzo that is now a functioning Burger King. The two exhibitions, at two diverse historic and contemporary locations will aim to illustrate our permanent connection with the internet.

 

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