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AUTHENTICITY IS DEAD, LONG LIVE AUTHENTICITY!
The aphorism “Authenticity is dead, long live authenticity!” proves vital in the prolific debate on authenticity in the post- digital age. Authenticity is in the eye of the beholder. There is a general understanding of its meaning, oftentimes based on notions of introspection and soul-searching; some, however, deem the debate altogether irrelevant. However, for a younger generation of artists, new technologies contribute to a new understanding of the scope of authenticity. Digital tools, such as the blockchain, prove valuable when it comes to tracing provenance, or the attribution of authorship. Increasingly, artists advance the circulation of their work from burden to strategy.
The exhibition comprises a number of online and offline works, some of which are specially commissioned for the Impakt Festival, including works made during artist residencies prior to the exhibition. The exhibition stretches across two venues in Utrecht, the galleries of Casco/Fotodok and the Rietveld Modelhuis. The Rietveld Modelhuis at Erasmuslaan 9 is an early twentieth-century home, designed by Gerrit Rietveld. Still fully furnished, it is a clear example of the Het nieuwe bouwen movement, which came to prominence in the 1920s and ’30s. The bright, domestic setting provides the backdrop to works by General Idea and Korakrit Arunanondchai; this is also a great opportunity to visit this architectural heritage site.
