Our History
The history of LI-MA and its predecessors.
Rooted in pioneering organisations such as MonteVideo and Time Based Arts, LI-MA has since 2013 grown into a leading centre of expertise for the management, preservation and distribution of media art. LI-MA builds on a rich history of internationally recognised artists and organisations in the Netherlands – a history dating back to the 1970s.
From pioneers...
To ensure that media art would receive the appreciation, care and attention it deserved – but did not receive in the mainstream art world – Dutch initiatives Montevideo, Time Based Arts and later NIMk focused early on on the development, application, dissemination and consideration of new technologies within the visual arts. They grew into an international infrastructure for the presentation, preservation and distribution of experimental video and media art.
... to international platform
LI-MA builds on the foundations and ideas of those pioneering organisations. As one of Europe's leading distributors, LI-MA ensures that work by young talent (such as Valentina Gal and Ghita Skali), mid-career artist (such as melanie bonajo and Julika Rudelius) and lauded icons (such as Marina Abramovic and Nan Hoover) is distributed to renowned (inter)national museums, festivals and institutions. LI-MA manages digital collections from a growing number of private and public institutions, such as the Boijmans Van Beuningen Rotterdam, de Appel Amsterdam, and Bonnefanten, Maastricht.
By organising, among others, research projects and programmes (REBOOT, Digital Care, UNFOLD, Cultural Matter), symposiums (Transformation Digital Art) and digital projects (Media Art on Wikipedia, Mediakunst.net), LI-MA stimulates critical reflection on media art and the ways in whih it is presented and preserved. Specialist knowledge gathering in the areas of presentation, preservation and production and sharing that knowledge within LI-MA's community is a crucial and ongoing process. Only then will media art from the past and present also remain available to the audiences of the future.
Play Out - by the Netherlands Media Art Institute
