Loading: Past. Present. In Progress—A Digital and Media Art Festival

A Digital and Media Art Festival, organised by Goethe-Institut New Delhi in collaboration with Asia Art Archive in India, as a space to bring together and think through digital and media art histories and practices in India and beyond. Digital and media art in South Asia has largely flourished outside of institutions and their support structures, be it the art school, gallery, or museum. Its experimental, and often collaborative nature has meant it has occupied unconventional spaces—workshops or temporary setups—artist studios, online spaces, apartments, and independent spaces. Much of this work has been ephemeral, leaving behind partial traces rather than stable records. How do we begin to piece together its history? This festival is an occasion to trace some of those histories, and reflect on how media art has shaped the contemporary art ecosystem in India, while often existing at its edges, outside formal structures, in experimental and in short-lived formats. Unfolding across multiple formats—exhibition, workshops, interactive timeline, live performances, and a symposium—and with a host of individual and institutional collaborators, the festival invites artists, researchers, and cultural practitioners to collectively rethink what digital and media art means in our highly mediated worlds.