A Nationwide Exploration of Media Art

As our nationwide screening series, LI-MA Presents: New Art on Screen and LI-MA Presents: New Art on Screen – Bring Your Own File, wraps up, we reflect on our first foray to bring our media art programme beyond Amsterdam. From The Hague to Leeuwarden, Arnhem, and Tilburg, this collaborative initiative brought experimental media art to new audiences. Partnering with cultural organisations nationwide, we showcased a diverse range of contemporary works that provoked thought and discussion on pressing topics like identity, technology, intimacy, and history.

The screenings featured new works from our collection, including pieces by Anika Schwarzlose & Brian D. McKenna, Bea de Visser, Broersen & Lukács, Daniel Jacoby, Daisy Evers, Ghita Skali, Janilda Bartolomeu, Jude Westerveld, Katja Verheul, Luna Maurer & Roel Wouters, Magnus Monfeldt & Jonas Ohlsson, Mark IJzerman & Sébastien Robert, Patricia Werneck Ribas, Samira Elagoz & Z Walsh, Seoungho Cho, and Thomas Mohr, each contributing a unique perspective on pressing topics such as media and technology criticism, gender and identity, and sustainability.

Nurturing Emerging Talent

A key part of this endeavour has been the Bring Your Own File showcases, which brought emerging, young or self-taught artists to the forefront, offering a platform to present their work and engage with new audiences and experts. Our open call received an enthusiastic response, bringing in a diverse selection of experimental video works that explore forward-thinking themes. 

Fresh works were presented by the selected artists: Agata Sznurkowska, Alexi Rozhkov, Aylin Kuryel & Raşel Meseri, canvaswan, Chao Huang, christopher tym, Darya.G, Eleri, Feline Hjermind, Geo Barcan, Izzy Lee, Jessica Tucker, Jon Metz, Kexin Hong, Lilian C. Scheuer, Lilian C. Scheuer, Lonneke Thijs, Margarita Kosareva, Marvin Hauck, Mathilde van der Burght, Miguel Teodoro, Nesie Junyi Wang, Rustan Söderling, Saskia Burggraaf, Sophie Waller, Tewa Barnosa, Wouter Hisschemöller, and Yufei Gao. 

Drawing inspiration from Rafaël Rozendaal’s participatory initiative “Bring Your Own Beamer”, Bring Your Own File cultivated an inclusive, supportive environment where participants could receive expert feedback during workshops focused on the history, technical aspects, and distribution of media art, helping to nurture the next generation of media artists. 

In December 2024, LI-MA Presents went online for an entire month, featuring a curated selection of works by artists from our Bring Your Own File open call, presented via Vimeo.

Emphasis on Collaboration

LI-MA Presents: New Art on Screen and Bring Your Own File were made possible through the vital partnerships with cultural institutions and venues across the Netherlands. Curatorial collaborations with organisations such as The Grey Space in the Middle, Media Art Friesland, 171project.space, Pop Up Cinema, and CBK Zuidoost allowed us to bring media art to new spaces, such as De Nieuwe Vorst in Tilburg and Bijlmerbios and SHEBANG in Amsterdam Zuidoost, making a step towards creating connections between local communities and the artists we support. 

This approach underscores the value of curating programmes that extend beyond Amsterdam, ensuring media art engages diverse audiences, fosters thoughtful dialogue, and contributes to a more inclusive cultural landscape. Through these partnerships, LI-MA continues to build sustainable networks that shape the present and future of media art.

This tour may be coming to an end for now, but the connections made and the conversations sparked will continue to shape the future of LI-MA’s work. We’re looking forward to carrying these conversations forward and exploring new ways to support and present media art in the future.

Header image: Hoogtij, 27 September 2024, The Grey Space in the Middle. Photo by Esmée de Vette.

Partners & locations: The Grey Space in the Middle, LAB111, CBK Zuidooost, SHEBANG, Media Art Friesland, Pop Up Cinema, De Nieuwe Vorst, Bijlmerbios, 171project.space

LI-MA Presents: New Art on Screen and LI-MA Presents: New Art on Screen - Bring Your Own File were made possible with the generous support of Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst (for screenings at LAB111, SHEBANG, and Bijlmerbios), Fonds 21, and het Cultuurfonds.