We Cyberists

We Cyberartists have tunnel vision. Through our art, best fitted to the digital 
network that the spidery Web is, we pipeline our "cyber"-works for "cyber"-culture's
sake that is globally prevalent. When I first established a presence on line with my "Truly 
Virtual Web Art Museum" in 1997, I had difficulty finding good digital art online to fill 
the virtual gallery spaces with international computer art. It was pretty much a vast e-wasteland. 
Cultural experience back then was more about taking up residency in free "home"-pages such as 
Geocities, and flirting in then novel online "chatrooms." But the Internet held the near term 
promise that scores of digital artists would soon arrive to claim this new realm of art opportunity. 

And yes, today, they pervasively inhabit this exciting, proliferating cyberspace! There is now such 
a diverse richness online of cyberarts that I am proud to be part of this pioneering first generation of artists that are providing culture unique to the Web. Here is art found nowhere else but on the Web.

"Cyberart," according to my perspective and mission, is digital art that is created 
exclusively for viewing, appreciation, and experiencing, on the Internet. Imagine 
the power to now be able to transport your feelings, ideas, as artist with anybody on 
the planet, bypassing the physical bottlenecks that museums and galleries are, through a 
democratic, distributive vehicle for public visibility and consumption. All one has to do 
is conform to the medium of expression that best fits this electronic modality, the computer,
the network, the boxy screen. Not all artists, especially the sculptors, take naturally to 
this beckoning new art medium . But for me, like a fish to water, it was a logical 
extension from "computer artist" (1985-96) to "cyberartist" (1997- present). It just 
took a change of commitment from printing-framing-nailing-hanging-on-the-wall 
to merely uploading new works to my web pages. With the advent of this new portal for 
artistic visionaries, the Internet's Flash, Java, and multimedia integration developments
guarantee future visual delights for all cybercitizens.

For 2002 a new milestone for all cyberartists - the EHCC World Tour of Cyberart 
(www.lastplace.com/EXHIBITS/EHCC/ICE2002/introduction.htm), art of disciples for Internet Art- 
is downloaded, printed out, framed, and exhibited to reveal themselves to those who only "see" in the "real world"- outside the domain of online culture. With the stewardship of Ingrid Kamerbeek of Germany, it is our plan to establish a "web ring" of worldwide museums that recognize, and support, the virtues of Cyberart. Hopefully this will accelerate the pace of opening "unwired" eyes, leading the way to the hidden dimension of edge art just a fingertip away, lying buried, like hidden treasures, within the new landscape of ubiquitous desktops.

Pygoya (aka Rodney Chang, M.A., Ph.D)
December 5, 2002