Why 12.5 Years?

In Dutch culture, a 12.5-year anniversary marks a moment of recognition, a copper milestone. Traditionally observed in long-term partnerships, it marks a bond that has matured and endured. At LI-MA, this feels fitting, as this mark signals both resilience and relevance.

Since its founding, LI-MA has grown into a centre of expertise in the care, presentation, and distribution of media art. In a landscape defined by ephemerality and obsolescence, we’ve stayed focused on building connections. tools, platforms, and methodologies that sustain artistic practices in time. As a knowledge centre, LI-MA is the link between artists, museums, cultural and scientific institutions and the public that engage with media art. From the restoration of pioneering video works to infrastructure-building for born-digital art, we’ve worked alongside artists, museums, archives, and festivals – helping shape how media art is preserved and reimagined.

Over a Decade of Daring Public Programmes

Within the past decade, LI-MA has developed a strong and multifaceted public programme.

Within the past decade, LI-MA has developed a strong and multifaceted collaborative programme, grounded in the belief that media art can only be sustained through shared responsibility and dialogue. With UNFOLD, we’ve championed artistic longevity through reinterpretation, working closely with artists, conservators, and technologists to breathe new life into media artworks across technologies, audiences, and eras. Through Cultural Matter, we brought media art to broader publics via curated exhibitions and conversations, amplifying artistic voices within today’s digital landscape and fostering critical engagement between artists, scholars, and audiences.

The annual Transformation Digital Art symposium has helped galvanise an international network around preservation, positioning the cultural value of digital art on the global stage and inviting diverse perspectives to shape the field’s future. With the recently completed Collaborative Infrastructure project, we’ve built a shared ecosystem for long-term care and access, bridging institutions, disciplines, and generations to support sustainable stewardship.

These programmes are not standalone efforts, but part of a broader commitment to working with others: artists, archives, museums, research institutions, and communities. Together, they reflect how collaboration and network-building have been essential to sustaining and evolving the field throughout LI-MA’s first 12.5 years.

More than Success Stories

These are reflections on why LI-MA’s work matters, and where we might go from here. In a year shaped by change and uncertainty, taking a moment to look back allows us to reconnect with the values that guide us, the networks that support us, and the questions that continue to shape our practice. In times of transition, reflection helps us hold onto what matters – and make space to imagine what’s next. 

As we move forward, we continue to invest in sustainable and decentralised networks for care and access; building and maintaining the infrastructure that media art depends on. Today, over 70 collections rely on LI-MA for preservation services, guidance, and access strategies. Media art is changing, and we’re evolving with it. But the mission remains the same; behind every project is a deeper investment in sustaining knowledge, supporting artists, and safeguarding media art for the long term. This also means sustaining the knowledge, tools, and infrastructure that make preservation possible, ensuring that media art can continue to live, be shared, and be reimagined in the years to come.

Become a Friend

Community is at the heart of everything we do. As the only organisation in the Netherlands systematically caring for media art, LI-MA plays a vital role in amplifying the work of Dutch media artists on both national and international stages. As a centre of expertise, we stay at the forefront of technological innovation – and explore what it means for artistic practice, distribution, and preservation. We often collaborate with leading institutions in the field, such as Tate, ZKM, and Rhizome, and regularly organise research projects, public talks, and screening programmes. Together with our partners and audiences, we continue to critically examine the technologies that shape media art today.

In the upcoming period, we will be highlighting more stories about what makes LI-MA special. If you believe in our mission, consider becoming a friend of LI-MA. Your support helps us preserve, activate, and share media art for future generations, while connecting you to a vibrant and engaged community.