Cultural Matter: Petra Cortright

Self-representation on the Internet.

12 September 2018 - 24 October 2018

LI-MA

Presenting their iconic 2007 work VVEBCAM during Cultural Matter, artist Petra Cortright discussed the many aspects of ubiquitous self-representation on the internet.

Petra Cortright's online video work, VVEBCAM (2007), holds an iconic status as it marks the emergence of the massive online culture of selfies and influencers. In the video, the American artist gazes intensely at the webcam and the audience while clicking animations and default effects that frame her face.

The piece possesses both introverted and progressive qualities, particularly when viewed in retrospect amidst the immense abundance of self-presentation that the internet now offers. While the work anticipates this phenomenon, it also appears to provide commentary on it when viewed from today's perspective.

The act of self-presentation has a long-standing history, situating Cortright's work within the tradition of video artists such as Pipilotti Rist and Cindy Sherman. Above all, VVEBCAM is saturated with the medium-specificity of the internet.

VVEBCAM was projected on a large 4:3 screen for its presentation at Cultural Matter. The artwork occupied a central position within the art space, rendering it both monumental and tangible.

The opening event on 12 September 2018 was co-hosted by curators Barbara Cueto and Bas Hendrikx. They curated an associative playlist featuring works, online fragments, and YouTube videos that seamlessly aligned with the thematic essence of Cortright's work, effortlessly encompassing elements of both "high" and "low" culture, much like Cortright's own artistic practice.

During the second evening on 10 October 2018, the American artist engaged in a conversation about her artistic practice with curator Melanie Bühler. The discussion covered topics ranging from videos and commissioned works to software-based paintings. The audience present in the room actively participated, further analysing Cortright's working methods and artistic approach.

About Petra Cortright

Petra Cortright’s core practice is the creation and distribution of digital and physical images using consumer or corporate softwares. She became renowned for making self-portrait videos that use her computer’s webcam and default effects tools, which she would then upload to YouTube and caption with spam text. Cortright’s paintings on aluminium, linen, paper, or acrylic are created in Photoshop using painting software and appropriated images, icons, and marks. The digital files are endlessly modifiable, but at a “decisive moment” they are translated into two-dimensional objects. They become finite, yet their range of motifs and marks, and their disorienting perspectives and dimensions suggest dynamic change. Cortright lives and works in Los Angeles, USA. (updated as of October 2018)