Oct. 08' - Reuben Knutson, Is the Internet good for Art?

Summary:

Practice.ie asked Reuben Knutson of Axis, online resource for contemporary art, to reflect on the potential significance of an Internet community to arts practitioners.

Axis is one of the ‘best online resources’ for information about contemporary art in the UK.  The website features profiles of professional artists and curators, interviews, discussions, art news and debates and showcases contemporary artists to watch.

Reuben Knutson manages the Dialogue section of the Axis website.  He organizes Café Artistique discussion events in partnership with arts organizations around the country.  He has also developed the Work in Progress area of the website which elaborates on projects that Axis artists and curators are involved in.

Is the Internet good for art?
Reuben Knutson

Originally, the Axis database claimed that it would ‘not set out to represent the ‘best’ or ‘most interesting’ artists in the country.’ Why should it? The database would provide enough material for viewers to sift through and to subsequently make their own value judgements about the art and artists presented. By adopting a user-generated approach, ‘subjective value judgements’ could thus be potentially avoided. But was this the right approach? Within the art world the area of value judgement is a source of great contention. It is also a point that can significantly affect the success of a website. Who is best qualified to make value-judgements about art: the public, public bodies, academics, critics or artists? Who makes decisions about quality, which translate into presentation of ‘best practice’, on the web and elsewhere? Who makes decisions upon even the kind of art produced, which ultimately translate into a healthy and dependable visual arts economy? The following text looks at how the web facilitates different sides of this debate and whether it has helped to advance opportunities for contemporary art by reinforcing reliable value-judgements by artists, critics, gallerists, commissioners and other arts professionals.