»… The computer is a tool, not magic, and possesses its own tragicomic limitations as well as offering new means of expression and communication. I am intrigued by the idea of making some kind of advanced art with this apparatus… At the same time, I am drawn to »cyber-kitsch« in all its forms, whether in old programs such as MS-Paintbrush, the amateur imagery that abounds on the Web, or the unintended poetry of technical glitches. My work proudly inhabits the »lo-fi« or »abject« end of the digital spectrum.« Tom Moody
American media artist, musician, blogger, and art critic Tom Moody (1955–2022) was an influential and key figure in the field of net art. His enthusiasm and dedication to the art form led him to blog about its democratic possibilities for more than twenty years, producing an important archive of early art on the Internet. Moody also published his own artwork, music, and writing online—from 2001– 2007 on the blog collective Digital Media Tree and then until 2022 on his own webpage and blog, where he also wrote about and commented on theoretical and net art topics such as NFTs and glitch art. Through his posts in various Internet surf clubs, including Nasty Nets, Computers Club, and dump.fm, Moody joined a network of other net artists that included Olia Lialina, Petra Cortright, and Ryder Ripps. Moody’s work has a lo-fi aesthetic due to the tools he used: old software, sometimes referred to as »abandonware«, such as Microsoft Paintbrush. Alongside artists such as Lorna Mills and JODI, he was among the first to use animated GIFs as an artistic medium. This exhibition features a selection of Moody’s GIFS and electronic music from the last two decades, including recent works created before his untimely passing from Covid complications in 2022.
