From "Content Wire", 4 June 2001

Art is dead, Viral Art is live and kickin' (Duchamp of course)

Art, among other things, is a mirror of society. This is true also on the net, where viral art is live and kicking.

By P.D.M.

Art is dead. Art dies everyday.
When Malevich (! cf. Ryman, Mondrian) presented a completely blank canvass called 'white on white' art was dead.
The statement was first popularly associated with Duchamp's famous urinal In New York a few decades ago.
Duchamp must have been sick and tired of the art establishment, and probably thought that the best thing to do was to piss on it, in style of course.
Art is dead, reminded recently the Chairman of the Royal Academy of Arts at an annual celebration in London, talking about Tracys' Emin soiled knickers publicly exhibited not long ago.
Art, this time, is a computer virus.
A virus especially written for the Biennale di Venezia, 'a contemporary art temple', is going to be spread on the internet later this week.
Conceived and compiled for the 49th Venice Biennale, "biennale.py" is the product of the collaboration of two transgressive groups, 0100101110101101.ORG and epidemiC, according to whom "biennale.py" is both a work of art and a computer virus.
The source code of the virus will be made public and spread on the opening day of the Biennale, in Venice, June 6th 2001, from the Slovenian Pavilion.
The main anti-virus software companies have already been informed about the technical specifications of "biennale.py", says the curator, and the disinstallation instructions attached.
But Content-wire virus and security expert advisors, Sophos.com, are not convinced.
Graham Cluley, senior technical consultant at Sophos comments:
"We have not heard about this virus- scuppering the idea that anti-virus vendors have been made aware of it!.
Distributing a virus as "art" - if indeed that's the plan - is not the best idea. Even if anti-virus products protect against it, they are adding to a problem rather than entertaining/enlightening/illuminating the world in a positive artistic way"
But maybe Sophos are too serious and too removed from the art world and work too closely to viruses to understand the artistic intention.
It takes an artistic mind to understand what is art, and what art may be not.
Art is not just entertainment, enlightenment, illumination. Especially these days.
Art is expression, representation and [attempt to reproduce] truth, pain, interpretation
Most of all, art is a vehicle to explore and understand all kinds of realities around and inside.
"A virus wants to exist instinctively and without mediations, and it is just this the main and only function of "biennale.py": to survive" says the literature.
If that's the case, virus as art may have a cause.
Exploring viruses as a natural form of communication between machines is certainly fascinating.
In the Slovenian Pavilion it will be possible to read the source code of "biennale.py" and test it on a infected computer.
During the opening days of the Biennale thousands of t-shirts carrying the source code of the program will be paraded.
Paradoxically, say the organisers, such as in biological viruses, "biennale.py" will spread not only through machines but also through people.
A paradox furthered by the fact that viruses, vague and dangerous entities by definition, will be for sale to adventurous art curators and collectors. To buy a computer virus is probably one the most exciting investment one could make today, say the organizers.
Aha. There's the catch. They are trying to sell us something. Why would anyone exhibit at the Biennale otherwise?
Selling viruses as art?
It sounds naff and cheap to Content-wire viral art critics, who are arguably purists, and rather believe in art for art's sake, than for anything else.
But as the positive thinkers that we are, we like to hope that perhaps the exhibit will contribute to break the artificial barriers between right and wrong, and open exploration to of viral technology for some kind of use.
What about computer viruses to spread wonderful things, flowers, surprises . Ideas anyone?
Not sure Sophos will like it either way.