Journal of Aesthetics & Culture

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Art criticism and the newness of : the reception of video art in the Swedish daily press, 1985–1991

Anna Orrghen

To cite this article: Anna Orrghen (2020) Art criticism and the newness of video art: the reception of video art in the Swedish daily press, 1985–1991, Journal of Aesthetics & Culture, 12:1, 1729539, DOI: 10.1080/20004214.2020.1729539 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/20004214.2020.1729539

© 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Published online: 27 May 2020.

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Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=zjac20 JOURNAL OF AESTHETICS & CULTURE 2020, VOL. 12, 1729539 https://doi.org/10.1080/20004214.2020.1729539

Art criticism and the newness of video art: the reception of video art in the Swedish daily press, 1985–1991

Anna Orrghen Department of Art History, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden

ABSTRACT KEYWORDS The aim of this article is to present and examine how art criticism in the Swedish daily press Art criticism; video art; new has dealt with video art as a new art form. The article argues that art criticism is challenged by media; medium specificity; having to deal with video art as a new art form. By paying attention to how the “identity Sweden the 1980s and crisis” of video art is represented in art criticism covering the four exhibitions Video/Art/Video, 1990s U-media, Japan nu/Sverige nu and Interface, as well as how the inherent properties of the printed press are used in this negotiation, this article shows that the art criticism contains a range of journalistic genres, makes use of art-historical and technological references and investigates the inherent properties of video art. The article further shows that the art criticism is primarily concerned with formal aspects of video art and that the medium specificity of the printed press is particularly salient. By comparing the specific Swedish situation with the international reception of video art as a new art form, I show that, in spite of the difference in date, they are indeed similar. Finally, by relating the reception of video art as a new art form to that of photography during the mid 19th century and digital art at beginning of the 21st century, I further show that the identity crisis of video art is similar to earlier as well as later identity crises of new technological art forms.

“The images merge, double project, disintegrate, identity crisis of the new medium is thus charac- reunite, dissolve, pulsate” (von Malmborg 1985a), terised by negotiations. Actually, the relationship claims the journalist Ingvar von Malmborg as he sum- between the new medium and older media as well marises his impressions of the exhibition Video/Art/ as the inherent properties of the new medium are Video that took place at Kulturhuset in Stockholm in particularly emphasised during this phase. Given 1985. The exhibition was one of the first larger that art-historical developments are claimed to chal- attempts to introduce video art to a broader audience lenge art criticism,1 it is reasonable to assume that in Sweden and the article was published in the Swedish these negotiations are reflected by the art criticism daily newspaper Aftonbladet. In the article, von concerned. Hence, in this article I argue that art Malmborg further describes one of the video installa- criticism is challenged by having to deal with video tions by comparing it to what “the surrealists once did art as a new art form. in ” (von Malmborg 1985a). From a historical perspective, the art historian Mary Video/Art/Video took place during what the art his- Warner Marien (1997) shows that this was very much torian Malin Hedlin Hayden identifies as “the legitimiz- the case regarding the reception of the advent of photo- ing period of video art”, referring to “the 1960s and into graphy around the mid-nineteenth century. Although the 1990s especially” (Hedlin Hayden 2015, 2). During Marien does not use the term “identity crisis”,herargu- this period, video art was seeking its identity as an art ment aligns with Gitelman and Pingree’s understanding form. Among other things, this suggests negotiations of the process of an identity crisis. Marien claims that concerning issues such as the expectations of video as “the idea of photography proved to be impressively elas- a medium, its relation to art history, as well as the tic” during this period and shows how photography was formation of a canon of video art. negotiated in the contemporary sphere of art criticism as From the perspective of the media historians Lisa it was seeking its identity as a medium and as an art form Gitelman and Geoffrey B. Pingree (2003), the legit- (Marien 1997, xiii–xiv). Marien argues: “During the imizing period of video art identified by Hedlin nineteenth century, photography was judged against Hayden bears similarities to the identity crisis that, painting, printmaking, and more subtly, literature and they argue, each new medium experiences before it moral philosophy. Photographs were reckoned to be becomes established. Due to its uncertain status in inferior to or better than engraved views of nature or of relation to established media and their functions, the works of art” (Marien 1997, 101). Hence, in a similar way

CONTACT Anna Orrghen [email protected] Department of Art History, Uppsala University, Box 630, Uppsala 751 26, Sweden © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. 2 A. ORRGHEN to Gitelman and Pingree’s argument, Marien shows that As I will elaborate on later on in this article, von during these negotiations attention was paid to the rela- Malmborg’s introductory quotations illustrate both tionship between photography and older printing tech- how art criticism establishes a relationship with an niques and art forms, as well as to the inherent properties older art form such as painting, and how art criticism of photography itself. seeks to characterise the inherent properties of video As several scholars have observed, the relationship art during a period when video art was a new phe- with older media is both a method of emphasising the nomenon. Thus, following Hedlin Hayden and particularity of the new medium and a way of gaining Gitelman and Pingree, von Malmborg’s quotations authority. For example, the film historian Paul Young are illustrative examples of how art criticism deals (2003, 230) argues that the use of older media, such as with the newness of video art. the telegraph and the telephone, in early cinema during The aim of this article is to present and examine how the late 19th and early 20th centuries became a link art criticism in the Swedish daily press has dealt with between the new medium and the audience, as the new video art as a new art form. Understanding video art as medium used familiar items. Marien (1997, 96) shows a new art form implies both a theoretical approach that this was, indeed, also the case concerning how towards new media as a historical concept and a focus various references to painting were paid attention to on the newness of new media. in art criticism covering the advent of photography. In From an international perspective, video art emerges a study on the introduction of scrapbooks, for instance, during the mid 1960s. Several scholars have paid atten- the cultural historian Ellen Gruber Garvey (2003,225) tion to video art as a time-based art form belonging to an shows that the scrapbook gained authority as a new art-historical as well as a technological background.5 medium by literally using material from older media Thus, the hybrid nature of video art has been emphasised such as periodicals and old books.2 Furthermore, the further.6 This, in turn, implies that video art is an art relationship with older media is a way of emphasising form that builds on several art-historical traditions in the supersession of the new medium in relation to its general and, in particular, on art-historical traditions predecessors (Gitelman and Pingree 2003, xiii) and, in and artists during the 20th century. During the early order to do so, the inherent properties of the new years of video art, artists who used video were, to medium are particularly emphasised. This is expressed a considerable extent, exploring its inherent properties in the above quotation by Marien, as well as being (Sturken 1990, 117).7 Thus, by paying particular atten- pointed out by Gitelman and Pingree. The advent of tion to inherent properties of the video image such as film is an illustrative example of this process. The film flickering and graininess, early video art was concerned historian Tom Gunning ([1990] 1997) shows that early with distinguishing video from other art forms such as cinema, for which he has coined the term “cinema of painting, , film and performance (Sturken 1990, attractions”, was characterised by a focus on using, and 116).8 As the visual studies scholar Marita Sturken (1990, showing, the attractiveness of the new visual technol- 117) argues, this implied a focus on the image instead of ogy. Hence, the focus was on the image instead of the the narrative.9 The art historian Ina Blom refers to these narrative of the film.3 Marien shows that this was, in kinds of artists as “painter-engineers” (Blom 2016, 46). fact, also the case concerning how the inherent proper- However, it has been pointed out that this focus ties of photography were discussed in the art criticism might not only be the case for practitioners. Curators, covering its advent.4 historians and critics have also been claimed to Photography, film and scrapbooks are examples of emphasise the inherent properties of the video.10 media that preceded video art. The media that follow And as Hedlin Hayden shows, the international video art do, moreover, show similar tendencies. For reception of video art as a new art form was char- example, I have paid attention elsewhere to how art acterized by negotiations concerning what video art criticism deals with digital art as a new art form around really was—and what it was not (Hedlin Hayden the turn of the millennium (Orrghen 2007). In a similar 2015,25–37). “Video art was apparently—tentatively way to how art criticism dealt with the identity crisis of —defined in relation to traditional visual arts, but photography, I claim that art criticism dealing with digi- also, because of its shared technology, to television tal art as a new art form also makes use of historical and various film practices”, Hedlin Hayden (2015, 36) references (Orrghen 2007,141–146), as well as investi- argues. Whereas she continues to point out that, gating the inherent properties of digital art (Orrghen compared to later writings on video art, the reception 2007,99–112). Furthermore, I acknowledge the impor- during the legitimizing period of video art stands out tance of the illustrations used in the art criticism, arguing as more diverse (Hedlin Hayden 2015, 36f). The art that the illustrations as well as the printed texts are used criticism related to early video art thus paid attention as a way to show the reader the inherent properties of to the inherent properties of the video as well as its digital art (Orrghen 2007,78–81). Hence, the medium relation to older art forms and older technologies. specificity of the printed press seems to be particularly In Sweden, however, video art did not start to gain salient in the negotiations concerning digital art. ground until the mid 1980s. The period between the JOURNAL OF AESTHETICS & CULTURE 3 mid 1980s and the mid 1990s has been described as secondary material. Art criticism as the primary a dynamic period in the history of video art and, by object of study, however, implies an examination of the mid 1990s, interest in video art in Sweden has art criticism itself. In this study, I concentrate on art been described as “exploding” (Pettersson and criticism as the primary object of study. This means Wrange 2006, 140).11 Thus, when video art was intro- that video art is considered as a catalyst inciting duced in Sweden, it was, nonetheless, not until the challenges, thus forcing art criticism to react. The final years of the wider legitimizing period of video implication on this study is an explicit focus on art art. From an international perspective, video art criticism dealing with the exhibitions, whereas the could thus be claimed to already have gone through exhibitions are only mentioned briefly.14 the identity crisis as a new medium. Given that the Earlier research on art criticism has treated it as newness of video art already seems to have been a journalistic genre with particular focus on its style, negotiated, at least from an international perspective, form, strategies of presentation, publication condi- it is particularly interesting to examine how the new- tions, the audience, and the changing conditions of ness of video art was interpreted and evaluated in the the art critic (Gee 1993; Sörbom 1993; Berger 1998b; contemporary sphere of art criticism in Sweden. Sjölin 2003b). A question that has consistently Methodologically, I will conduct the study as follows: remained unexplored concerns the medium specific firstly, by paying attention to how the identity crisis of conditions of art criticism.15 Time and again, debates video art was represented in art criticism covering four proclaiming a crisis in art criticism arise and it is exhibitions aiming to introduce video art to a broader accused of being uninterested, elitist, uncritical and audience in Sweden during the legitimizing period of insignificant.16 According to Brenson (1998, 103f), video art: Video/Art/Video (1985), U-media (1987), this is particularly evident where journalistic art criti- Japan nu/Sverige nu (1988) and Interface (1991).12 The cism is concerned. A number of scholars have paid art criticism covering these exhibitions was, therefore, attention to these debates and argue that journalistic written during a period while video art negotiated its art criticism has undergone a change from an aes- role as a new art form in Sweden.13 Secondly, given my thetic to a journalistic paradigm.17 The change argument that the medium specificity of the printed towards a journalistic paradigm entails a wider press seems to be particularly salient in such range of journalistic genres such as feature, reportage a negotiation, I will describe and analyse how the inher- and interviews, compared to earlier times when the ent properties of the printed press are used in this cultural pages in the daily press were dominated by negotiation. Thirdly, I will evaluate the specific aesthetically-oriented articles, principally reviews, Swedish situation by comparing it to the international mainly written by experts. Nevertheless, there are context of both video art and the related art criticism. scholars arguing that this change is not as drastic as And, finally, I will briefly relate the reception of video has been claimed (Heikkilä and Gronow 2018). art to earlier, and later, receptions of other new art There is, however, another more articulated aspect forms by comparing it to how international, as well as of the crisis dealing specifically with new technological Swedish, art criticism received photography and digital art forms. The major argument among these scholars art when they were similarly considered new art forms. concerns an ignorance regarding the new art among I thereby intend to contribute to a deeper understand- the critics. For instance, in an article strikingly entitled ing of the identity crisis of new media in general and the “What’s wrong with video criticism?”, Sean Cubitt identity crisis of video art in particular. (1993) pays attention to the lack of knowledge of video art among art critics. This absence of knowledge articulates itself as an absence of historical knowledge Art criticism and new technological art forms of the medium, a lack of economic analyses to be able In this article, art criticism is understood in terms of to understand its modes of production, circulation and what Michael Brenson terms “journalistic art criti- consumption, as well as a lack of knowledge of the cism” and includes “art criticism that appears in technology (Cubitt 1993). Similar arguments are raised daily or weekly large circulation national publica- concerning other technological art forms such as 18 tions” (Brenson 1998, 104). The art historian Jan- photography and digital art. Cubitt argues that if Gunnar Sjölin distinguishes between, on the one the art critics, due to this lack of knowledge, use the hand, using art criticism as a source for research old tools and theories as they approach the art works, and, on the other, art criticism as the primary object they will not be able to understand them. There there- of study (Sjölin 2003a, 12). In the former and most fore arises an apprehension among these scholars that 19 common case, the object of study is not art criticism these new art forms become neglected. Hence, they in itself but, for example, the reception of a particular argue, to acquire a more comprehensive understand- artist or genre, or a reflection of changes in society. ing of the new art the critics need to attain more 20 Hence, in those studies, art criticism is used as profound knowledge and alter their perspective. 4 A. ORRGHEN

Video art and art criticism in Sweden during In October 1987, the exhibition U-media took the 1980s and 1990s place at different public places in the town of Umeå in the north of Sweden. U-media was produced by the As mentioned above, the exhibitions Video/Art/Video, interdisciplinary group VAVD Editions, consisting of U-media, Japan nu/Sverige nu and Interface took place the designers Lars Svensson and Matz Borgström, the during a dynamic period in the history of video art in researcher Pål Wrange and the artists Måns Wrange Sweden. Furthermore, these exhibitions gained atten- and Peter Andersson. Approximately 40 international tion in the daily press. This part of the article introduces and Swedish artists participated in U-media including the exhibitions and characterises the art criticism deal- video art pioneers Gary Hill, Bill Viola, Dara ing with each, commenting on the number of articles, Birnbaum, Marcel Odenbach, Antonie Frank, Jaques- journalistic genres and the nature of the writers. Louis Nyst and Madelon Hooykaas/Elsa Stansfield. In On 2nd November 1985, the exhibition Video/Art/ addition to video art, the exhibition included other Video opened at Kulturhuset in Stockholm, Sweden. kinds of art characterised as “new media” such as The exhibition lasted until 6th January 1986 and was electronic art (Pettersson and Wrange 2006, 151; part of a larger venture on video art. In addition to the Wrange 2000, 112f). exhibition, Video/Art/Video also included a week-long U-media was paid attention to in one feature and two video festival opening on the same day as the exhibi- reviews published in Dagens Nyheter and Aftonbladet. tion, as well as two practically-oriented events, The art critic Birgitta Rubin (1987) wrote the feature Videoverkstan (March 1st, 1985 to 6th January 1986) article, and the art critics Lars O Ericsson (1987)and and Videolek (2nd November 1985 to 26th John Peter Nilsson (1987) wrote the reviews. January 1986). These two events were meant to offer Japan nu/Sverige nu was arranged by the Swedish the audience, primarily school children, the possibility organization Video Nu in 1988 and was a survey of of experimenting with and learning how to use video Japanese and Swedish video art. It was shown at technology. The artists Måns Wrange and Gunnel Uppsala konstmuseum, Örebro konsthall, Konst Petterson described the exhibition as a wide survey centrum Gävle, Malmö konsthall, Södertälje konsthall of video art from an international perspective, includ- and Kulturhuset in Stockholm. Cecilia Parsberg, Fredrik ing video installations from video art pioneers Nam Ceson, Kjartan Slettermark, Måns Wrange, Dan Dittmer/ June Paik, , Ulrike Rosenbach, Brian Eno, Birgitta Lorentzon, Antonie Frank and Pål Wrange were Shiego Kubota and Yann Nguyen Minh. Teresa among the contributing Swedish artists (Pettersson and Wennberg was the only Swedish participant with an Wrange 2006,147f).21 installation created in collaboration with the French Japan nu/Sverige nu was paid attention to in one artist Pierre Lobstein. The exhibition was produced by feature and one review in Dagens Nyheter and in three Stockholms kulturförvaltning, konstavdelningen (the debate articles in Aftonbladet.Thefeaturearticlewas Art Department of Stockholm Management of written by the art critic Birgitta Rubin (1988)andthe Culture) (Kulturhuset 1985; Pettersson and Wrange review by the art critic Lars O Ericsson (1988). The debate 2006,154). took place between the artist, cultural journalist and film All in all, Video/Art/Video gained attention in four- maker Carl Johan de Geer (1988a, 1988b) and Pål teen articles published in the four leading daily pub- Wrange (1988). lications in Sweden: Dagens Nyheter, Expressen, The last one of the four exhibitions, Interface,took Aftonbladet and Svenska Dagbladet. The most frequent place at Moderna Museet and Kulturhuset in genre was feature, but the exhibition also gained atten- Stockholm from January 22nd until 6 February 1991 tion in reviews, debates, personal reflections and and was organized by Stiftelsen Nordisk Videokonst a lengthier essay. A few of the articles merge between (The Nordic Video Art Foundation). Interface was different genres such as feature and interview, and a travelling exhibition showing Nordic video art. personal reflection and review, which makes them Before opening at Moderna Museet, it had been difficult to categorize. The art criticism dealing with shown at The Nordic Arts Centre in Helsinki, Finland Video/Art/Video was written by the art critics Leif (13 November–9 December 1990), and would continue Nylén (1985), Sören Engblom (1985)andCecilia its tour to Frölunda Kulturhus in Gothenburg, Sweden, Stam (1985), the film critic Mårten Blomkvist (1985), where it took place in April 1991. Participating artists the photo critic Ulf Hård af Segerstad (1985), and the were Peter Svedberg, Marika af Trolle, Kjell Bjørgesen, journalists Ingvar von Malmborg (1985a, 1985b), Mats Finn Mickelborg, Marjatta Oja, Fredrik Ceson, Marikki Hedberg (1985), Agneta Nordenankar (1985), Thore Hakola and Mikael Lindgen (Wrange 1990). Soneson (1985), Stefan Malmqvist (1985), Anna The art criticism dealing with Interface contains Fredriksson (1985) and the actress and writer one feature article and three reviews that were pub- Margareta Metelius (1985). The wide range of the lished in Dagens Nyheter, Aftonbladet, Upsala Nya type of writers covering the exhibition is notable. Tidning and Arbetet. The feature article was written JOURNAL OF AESTHETICS & CULTURE 5 by the journalist Agneta Nordenankar (1991), and the Marcel Duchamp (Karlstam 1991) and the Swedish reviews by Christina Karlstam (1991), Ingamaj Beck concretist Karl Axel Pehrson (Ericsson 1988). The refer- (1991), Lars O Ericsson (1991) and Jörgen Klinthage ences are used to characterise video art. Furthermore, (1991). the art-historical references are presented as links to Video/Art/Video and U-media included internation- other art-historical traditions, genres and artists. ally well-known video art pioneers and only one or Hence, the art-historical references are used to con- a few Swedish video artists whereas Japan nu/Sverige firm—rather than elaborate on—similarities with art nu and Interface introduced Swedish and Nordic video history. The art-historical references could be said to artists. Thus, the latter pair did not include any inter- position video art within an art-historical context. Thus, national video art pioneers belonging to what has been when the art critic Christina Karlstam, in a 1991 review pointed out as the canon of video art.22 on Interface, uses Duchamp in order to describe the All in all, the art criticism dealing with Video/Art/ tradition the artist Marika af Trolle is working within, Video, U-media, Japan nu/Sverige nu and Interface she does not elaborate on or discuss any differences contains reviews, feature articles, interviews, debates, between Duchamp and video art, merely clearly affirm- personal reflections and one lengthier essay. The wri- ing that: “Following Duchamp, Marika af Trolle exhi- ters were art critics, a film critic, a photo critic, jour- bits an authentic cement mixer on the floor at the nalists, artists and actors. In the concluding part of this Moderna Museet, with a video image of a cement article, I will elaborate on the implications of the mixer in the opening and thus formulates the question difference between the reception of the exhibitions. of what is most real, the cement mixer or the image of The following part of this article will examine how it” (Karlstam 1991). the art criticism dealt with the newness of video art. Other examples of art criticism relating to video art include references to existing art forms and include various ways of referring to sculpture and painting. Making art-historical references “Video painting” and “video sculpture” are among the In a 1985 review, the art critic Sören Engblom claims most common ones.23 But the examples also include that the participation by the artist Brian Eno in the expressions like “light sculpture” (Nordenankar 1985), exhibition Video/Art/Video is “remotely related to and “video portrait” (Nordenankar 1985). Furthermore, early non-figurative art or Cubist plan buildings” video is combined with art-historical concepts while (Engblom 1985). In another review, covering the presenting the artists participating in the exhibitions. same exhibition, the art critic Leif Nylén claims that For instance, Teresa Wennberg is introduced as the artists and Wolf Vostell “have their a “painter and video artist” (Ericsson 1988), and Peter background in the international and during the 60s Svedberg is introduced as “the painter who picks up the influential Fluxus movement” (Nylén 1985), that the TV as well as stone, bronze or neon in his artworks” video pioneer Vostell was “one of the 60s most furious, (Nordenankar 1991). Compared to the art-historical rudest happening artists, like Germany’s Allan Kaprow references discussed above, these references contain at —or Kjartan Slettemark” (Nylén 1985), and that Ulrike least a tendency towards a more elaborated approach on Rosenbach’s installation is an “example of video art art history. By combining the new—video—with the old that is close to the traditions of conceptual and per- —sculpture and painting—these examples imply that formance art” (Nylén 1985). there is something particular about the new art form. Engblom’s and Nylén’s reviews illustrate Although it is claimed to share some common features a common feature in the articles, namely that the with sculpture, it is not merely what is commonly art critics make reference to art-historical traditions, referred to as a sculpture, but a video sculpture, and genres and artists. And in these particular reviews, that is something new, partly different from, but relating Engblom and Nylén characterise the history of video to, the old. In these examples, the combined words thus art in that they emphasise its distant relationship to indicate the perceived hybrid nature of video art as it non-figurative art and Cubism and its close relation- contains both the older art form and the new one. ship to conceptual and performance art. The latter is The art-historical references emphasize the formal particularly stressed by referring to particular artists aspects of video art. Moreover, the art-historical and movements belonging to this tradition, such as references are made in such a way that they confirm the video pioneer Vostell, the leading-edge artists the similarities between the new art form and the Kaprow and Swedish-Norwegian Slettemark as well older art forms with which it is compared. as the Fluxus movement. In addition to the performance artists Slettemark and Making technological references Kaprow mentioned above, other artists appear in the articles, such as the modernist painters Wassily In a similar way to art-historical references, techno- Kandinsky (Hedberg 1985;Malmqvist1985)andPiet logical references are also made in the articles, such Mondrian (Malmqvist 1985), the avant-garde artist as, for example, references to television and different 6 A. ORRGHEN film genres. On one hand, in art criticism, television a greater extent used in a way that distinguishes is used as a prerequisite to understanding video art. video art from the older technology. For example, in a 1991 feature on Interface, Agneta Nordenankar claims that much “in the video art Investigating the inherent properties of video probably requires that you are raised with TV, that art you have learned to read and interpret the TV image” (Nordenankar 1991). She suggests that people under The two proceeding sections dealt with how the art thirty who have watched a lot of TV are probably criticism initially sought to understand the nature of more tolerant of video art and inclined to like it. On video art by focusing on its formal aspects and their the other hand, video art is, nonetheless, claimed to relation to art-historical and technological traditions. be different from television. In a 1988 review on In this section I will take a closer look at how the art Japan nu/Sverige nu the art critic Lars O Ericsson criticism dealt with the specific qualities of video art claims that despite “the fact that video art originates as a time-based medium. For instance, how were the from the TV medium, it is mostly far from televi- spatial, audio visual and kinaesthetic experiences of sion’s conventional dramaturgy. Instead, it often uses video art represented in the art criticism? How were structures similar to those found in, for example, the moving images or courses of events depicted in music or poetry” (Ericsson 1988). And in a 1991 the illustrations? review on Interface, Ericsson makes a similar argu- In a 1991 review on the exhibition Interface,theart ment when he claims that “video art sought to refine critic Lars O Ericsson claims that a “dominant feature of its identity by becoming as diverse as possible. If TV these works is that the transient video image is integrated wanted to be quick, narrative and entertaining, then with various material structures” (Ericsson 1991). the video art wanted to be the opposite: slow, non- Ericsson’s description of the video image as “transient” telling and quite often monotonously repetitive” corresponds to what several art historians emphasize as (Ericsson 1991). Ericsson observes that the relation- one of the main features characterising video as a time- ship between video and television illustrates based medium.25 The example illustrates a recurring a complex contradiction, which a number of scholars tendency in the articles, namely that the art critics seek have claimed, namely that video bears similarities to to investigate the inherent properties of video art. In the television as a medium whilst at the same time turn- main, this is achieved by an effort to identify the char- ing itself against the characteristics of television as acteristics and specific qualities of video as a medium in a medium.24 Sturken (1990, 103) points out the dif- general and the video image in particular. ference between television and video, arguing that Other attempts are constructed in a similar way, in whereas television is characterised by liveness, video order to pin down the nature of this transient video is considered as more archival. image. In a 1991 feature article on Interface, Besides television, the art criticism also includes Nordenankar describes the exhibition by stating that references to different film genres. In a 1985 review on it contains a “bluish shimmer, rhythmically throb- Video/Art/Video, the art critic Sören Engblom implies bing, and enveloping images” (Nordenankar 1991). that video art “acts in the borderland between moving Christina Karlstam pays attention to “the flickering visual arts and formally released short films” (Engblom from the TV-box” (Karlstam 1991), Beck to “moving 1985), while the film critic Mårten Blomqvist argues images, images that flicker, pictures repeating them- that “many—very many—of the grips are recognized selves, images that lose themselves in graininess, dis- from old experimental films” (Blomqvist 1985). The art turbances, etc. etc.” (Beck 1991), Nylén writes that in critic Nylén pays attention to the perceived hybrid Video/Art/Video they show “flicker, test images, frag- character of video art, claiming that “much of what is ments” (Nylén 1985), and in the introductory exam- good is actually referencing other art forms: dance, ple of this article, von Malmborg claims that the theatre, documentary, music—and utilizing aesthetic images “merge, double project, disintegrate, reunite, ideas and attitudes originally developed in other tradi- dissolve, pulsate” (von Malmborg 1985a). tions” (Nylén 1985), whilst the art critic Cecilia Stam Put together, these examples give an idea of how claims that the video artists seem to “strive for a kind of the transient video image is perceived to manifest old experimental film style” (Stam 1985). Further exam- itself in the exhibitions. The examples above contain ples of description include “short film”, “Bfilm” and several of the features that have been observed as “8mmfilm” (De Geer 1988a). inherent properties of the video image, such as flick- Akin to how the art-historical references are used, ering and graininess. Moreover, they also reveal how the technological references in art criticism also focus the experience of the exhibitions is represented in the on the formal aspects of video art. However, com- art criticism and how the characteristic style of the pared to the art-historical references made, more or daily printed press is used to mediate that experience. less, to confirm the similarities between video art and Hence, in these examples, the perceived features of art history, the technological references are to video art are expressed and illustrated by how the JOURNAL OF AESTHETICS & CULTURE 7 sentences are constructed. The use of single words, The examples above also reveal another tendency in lined up in rows, separated by commas, emphasises the art criticism dealing with the exhibitions Video/Art/ the video image as transient, as if the reader could Video, U-media, Japan nu/Sverige nu and Interface, almost feel and see what it is like to be in the exhibi- namely that the art criticism seems to attach greater tion. The images are everywhere, surrounding, and importance to the experience of the exhibition than to almost attacking the viewer. When the art critic Sören describe or interpret the art works.27 Put together, Engblom summarises his impression of Video/Art/ these examples give an idea of how video as a time- Video in a 1985 review, he actually gives the impres- based medium manifests itself in the exhibitions. It also sion that he literally needs to duck to avoid being hit emphasises that art criticism focuses on the images by the new medium: “People were crowded, shim- rather than the narrative. This became clear in the mering, and gloomy images came rushing towards previous paragraphs where I argued that the references each other out of every corner of the installations” to art-historical and technological references were (Engblom 1985). made concerning formal aspects of the art works. The short, suggestive, and repetitious way in which The focus of art criticism on the images instead of the sentences are constructed thus becomes a means to the narrative means that it is the “act of looking” use the printed text to really show the reader the char- rather than the narrative that is central (Gunning acteristics of video art, and the experience it generates. [1974] 1999, 825). The act of looking becomes pre- These examples further illustrate what the film and sent through the art criticism investigated in this video scholar Margaret Morse (1990, 154) terms “the article. As shown above, sweepingly paying attention space-in-between” and refer to an inherent property of to the video images rather than giving an account of video installations. According to Morse, the space-in- the narrative, as well as how the language in the art between calls attention to how the audience experi- criticism is used, illustrates “the act of looking” and ences the and it “exploits the further emphasises “the act of display”, to use another capacities of the body itself and its senses to grasp the phrase of Gunning ([1974] 1999, 825) world visually, aurally and kinaesthetically” (Morse Given that several articles are illustrated, Morse’s 1990, 165). In particular, Morse (1990, 161) pays atten- claimthatitisnotpossibletodocumentthespace-in- tion to the light from the screens and argues that the between raises questions concerning the role of the illus- apparatus in the exhibition creates a virtual room. trations in the art criticism. As shown above, the text According to Morse (1990, 154), it is not possible to seizes the space-in-between by the way it makes use of document the space-in-between by photography, video the medium specificity of the printed press. The illustra- or by the use of language. Nevertheless, I argue that the tions, on the other hand, most typically depict one video space-in-between is made visible in the art criticism screen or installation.28 There are a few exceptions investigated in this article. This is, however, not done depicting two installations,29 and in one case three by describing the space-in-between in words, but by (Beck 1991). The art criticism thus reveals a tension how the words and the printed texts are used. Morse between how the exhibitions are depicted in the illustra- claims that the kinaesthetic experience is an intrinsic tions on one hand and their written representation on part of the properties of video installations and thus it the other. becomes visible not by what but by how the art criti- cism is written.26 This might be a way to address and Art criticism in Sweden and the newness of hold the reader of the art criticism in a similar way that video art Gunning ([1974] 1999, 825) argues that the cinema of attractions addressed and held the spectator. In the following and concluding parts of this article, I intend to evaluate the specific Swedish situation by comparing it to the international context of both video art and the related art criticism. Finally, Elaborating using the inherent properties of I briefly relate the reception of video art to earlier the printed press and later receptions of other new art forms by com- The inherent properties of video as a medium focused paring it to how international as well as Swedish art on in the art criticism appear to influence how the art criticism received photography and digital art when critics use the inherent properties of the printed press. they were considered as new. Through the use of the language, the art criticism The art criticism dealing with Video/Art/Video, illustrates video as a time-based medium. Hence, U-media, Japan nu/Sverige nu and Interface contains when neither the contents of the words nor the illus- a wide range of journalistic genres including reviews, trations used in the newspaper seem to be enough to feature articles, interviews, debates, personal reflec- describe the space-in-between, Ericsson, Beck and their tions and a lengthier essay. It is written by various fellow art critics not only use, but elaborate using the kinds of writers such as art critics, journalists, artists inherent properties of the printed press. and a film critic. This wide range of journalistic 8 A. ORRGHEN genres and type of writers might be understood in more diverse during the early years further empha- accordance with what Heikki Hellman and Maarit sises this interpretation. Jaakkola (2011) refer to as a change from an aesthetic By examining how the identity crisis is represented to a journalistic paradigm taking place within art in the art criticism dealing with Video/Art/Video, criticism. U-media, Japan nu/Sverige nu and Interface, the analysis Viewed separately, the wide range of genres as well reveals that, in a similar way to art criticism dealing with as the number of articles published in relation to each video art as a new art form internationally, the art exhibition might, nonetheless, be interpreted in yet criticism dealing with video art as a new art form in another way. Video/Art/Video was by far the most Sweden relates to older art forms, as well as investigat- acclaimed exhibition in the daily press. It was also ing the inherent properties of video art. Hence, the art paid attention to within the widest range of genres criticism dealing with the four exhibitions makes art- and it attracted the broadest range of writers. Given historical and technological references to existing art that Video/Art/Video was the most comprehensive forms and technologies such as film and television. and the longest running of the four exhibitions in These references contribute to the characteristics of terms of international well-known video art pioneers video art as it receives qualities from the already familiar participating, this might not be too remarkable. art-historical traditions and technologies. The double Since Video/Art/Video took place as the first of the history of video art that has been pointed out by several four exhibitions it is, however, interesting to compare scholars is thus emphasised in the art criticism.30 The the art criticism dealing with Video/Art/Video to the art art-historical and technological references further illus- criticism dealing with Interface, the last of the four. The trate the perceived hybrid character of video art.31 The art criticism dealing with Interface contained a fewer art-historical references made in the art criticism thus number of articles, predominately reviews, written by contribute to place video art in an art-historical tradi- art critics. Video/Art/Video took place six years before tion. In accordance with how video art was received in Interface, and it took place during the very first years an international context, the formal aspects of video art when video art started to gain ground in Sweden. are particularly emphasised. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that the Swedish From the perspective of video art as a new med- art critics were more used to video art in 1991 than in ium, the art-historical and technological references 1985. In a 1983 debate on art criticism and video art, the made in the art criticism thus contribute to char- Swedish art critic Crispin Ahlström actually points out acterise video art. By referring to older art forms that one of the reasons that made it difficult to write such as painting, sculpture and performance art, about video art as an art critic in Sweden during the the new art form, video art, receives qualities early 1980s was that “the range is so small that the critics from the older ones. For, as Gitelman and Pingree cannot get to know the video. Then they cannot assess (2003, xx) argue, the newness of a new medium is the quality either” (Heske, Pálsson, Nilsson, Ahlström, often emphasised by its relation to older media. Mallander and Wulff 1983, 50). The difference between And, in accordance with how Marien (1997, 96) the art criticism dealing with Video/Art/Video and and Young (2003, 230) argue that the use of older Interface might thus be understood employing items or techniques in early photography and Jaakkola’s argument that art criticism dealing with art cinema became a link between the new medium that breaks aesthetical traditions might benefit from and the audience, the art-historical references being written from a more journalistic approach. made in the art criticism examined in this article According to Jaakkola (2012, 488), other journalistic actually could be said to work in a similar way: the genres such as feature or interviews might contribute use of older and familiar media also makes it easier to a greater understanding of the new art since aspects for the new medium to position itself in relation to such as the production process and other underlying the old (Young 2003,230f).And,asthearthistor- causes might be put to the fore. ian Kristoffer Arvidsson (2008, 125) argues, it also From the perspective of video art as a new med- makes it easier for the art critic to relate the new ium, the extent of the attention Video/Art/Video art to existing art-historical traditions. gained might thus further be related to the matter Apart from relating video art to older art forms of when the exhibition took place. Hence, the varying and technologies, the art criticism further investigates journalistic genres and the different number of arti- the inherent properties of video art. Thus, in accor- cles dealing with Video/Art/Video and Interface dance with what several international scholars have respectively, might not only be understood as argued (Blom 2016, 46; Meigh-Andrews 2014, 9),32 a change from an aesthetic to a journalistic paradigm, by paying attention to the video image and how it but in relation to the different phases in the identity effects the audience, the inherent properties of the crisis video art experienced before it became estab- new medium are particularly investigated and lished. Hedlin Hayden’s(2015, 36f) conclusion that emphasised in the art criticism during the legitimiz- the reception of international video art stands out as ing period of video art in Sweden. JOURNAL OF AESTHETICS & CULTURE 9

The hybrid nature of video art, the spatial, audio- the introductory example of this article, might thus visual and kinaesthetic dimensions of video art, and be a way for art criticism to deal with the newness of its double origin belonging to an art-historical as well video art. as a technological background, are recurrently As pointed out above, although taking place on brought to the fore in the art criticism. It further different occasions, the similarities between the inter- becomes clear how this really brings challenges for national and Swedish reception of video art are strik- art criticism. The art critics need to be aware of the ing. This is primarily also the case when it comes to characteristics, history and conditions of the new art how the reception of video art as a new art form is form, and, additionally, how they could use the inher- related to the reception of photography and digital art ent properties of the printed press. Albeit this might as new art forms. Elsewhere, I have demonstrated occur as a statement too obvious to be noted, this is that an important task of the illustrations in the art none the less crucial considering the argument of this criticism dealing with digital art is to illustrate the article. Thus, what challenges did art criticism face inherent properties of digital art. For example, this during the legitimizing period of video art, and how can be achieved by showing people interacting with were these challenges handled? By the use of quota- the art works (Orrghen 2007,78–80). This is, how- tions from the printed press, I have shown that the ever, not the case with art criticism dealing with video medium specificity of the printed press is used in art as new. Thus, contrary to what has been claimed, order to handle the challenges art criticism faced the illustrations in the art criticism dealing with video during the legitimizing period of video art in Sweden. art as new art do not replace the descriptive function Put together, the art-historical and technological of art criticism.34 references, the investigation of the inherent properties of video art, and the investigation of the inherent prop- erties of the printed press are primarily used in such Conclusion a way that art criticism acknowledges the formal aspects of video art. In conclusion, in a very similar way to In this article, I have presented and examined how art international art criticism, the Swedish art criticism criticism in the Swedish daily press has dealt with seems to attach greater importance to the experience video art as a new art form. Following, among others, ’ of video art than to describe or interpret particular art Gitelman and Pingree s understanding of new media works. Due to this focus on formal aspects in the art as a historical concept, particular attention has been criticism, I have identified a gap between how the paid to the identity crisis video art was experiencing exhibitions are interpreted and how the art works are before it was a fully established art form. My focus described in the art criticism. Whereas the interpreta- has been on art criticism during the legitimizing tions are related to overarching questions concerning, period of video art in general, and on art criticism for example, the role of media in contemporary society, in Sweden in particular. By comparing the specific these interpretations are seldom anchored in particular Swedish situation with the international reception of art works. Hence, there is a tendency towards video art as a new art form, I show that in spite of the a somewhat generalising approach in the art criticism. difference in time, they are indeed similar. By relating This could be understood as a result of the exhibi- the reception of video art to photography and digital tions being joint exhibitions since art criticism covering art as new art forms, I further show that, from the exhibitions with several contributing artists has perspective of video art as a new medium, the identity a tendency to have a more general approach towards crisis of video art as a new art form is similar to an overarching theme than analysing singular art works earlier as well as later identity crises of new techno- (Sjölin 2003b, 140). The specific art critics could also be logical art forms. Thus, the newness of video art did of relevance,33 as well as a change towards a more indeed challenge art criticism in Sweden. theoretical approach art criticism adopted during the 1980s (Arvidsson 2008, 126). Yet another way of under- Notes standing this gap might be the change from an aesthetic to a journalistic paradigm as discussed above. 1. See, for example, Brenson (1999, 118). 2. See also Garvey (2013). From the perspective of video art as a new med- 3. See Gunning ([1990] 1997, [1974] 1999). ium, this gap might, nevertheless, illustrate the lack of 4. See particularly Chapter 3 in Marien (1997,84–111). appropriate vocabulary among critics characterising 5. On the double history of video art, see, for example, the advent of new technological art forms identified Liljefors (2005), Armes (1988), Meigh-Andrews by Cubitt (1993). To try to capture the inherent (2014), Ross (1990) and Blom (2016). properties of video art by elaborating with the med- 6. The hybrid character of video art has been paid attention to by e.g. Pettersson and Wrange (2006, ium specificity of the printed press, for instance by 133), Meigh-Andrews (2014, 2). For a thorough dis- way of using short, repetitive sentences in order to cussion on the complex origins of video art, see illustrate the feelings the exhibitions generate, as in Meigh-Andrews (2014) and Hall and Fifer (1990). 10 A. ORRGHEN

7. See also Meigh-Andrews (2014, 7). Sound,” 160–185, and Chapter 8 “Aesthetics of Video 8. On flickering, see Blom (2016, 61). On graininess, Image,” 186–210; Meigh-Andrews (2014,6). see Meigh-Andrews (2014, 3) and Sturken (1990, 26. Elsewhere, I have paid attention to a similar way of 103). using the printed text in relation to art criticism deal- 9. See also Meigh-Andrews (2014, 7). ing with digital art as new. Orrghen (2007,78–83). 10. On curators and historians, see Meigh-Andrews 27. The art historian Martin Biehl calls attention to this (2014, 9). On video curators and critics, see Sturken tendency in a survey of art critics. See Biehl (2003,18). (1990, 104). 28. See Nylén (1985), Engblom (1985), Nordenankar 11. For a thorough review of the history of video art in (1985), Hedberg (1985), Stam (1985), Rubin Sweden, see Andersson, Sundholm, and Söderbergh (1987), Ericsson (1987) and Nordenankar (1991). Widding (2010, 179–196), and Pettersson and 29. See, for example, Nilsson (1987), Karlstam (1991). Wrange (2006). 30. On the double history of video art, see, for example, 12. The selection is based on a search through The Liljefors (2005), Armes (1988), Meigh-Andrews Cuttings archive at the Art Library, the joint library (2014), Ross (1990), and Blom (2016). for Moderna Museet and the Nationalmuseum in 31. For a thorough discussion on the complex origins of Sweden, on the keyword “video art”, conducted in video art, see Meigh-Andrews (2014) and Hall and 2010. In addition, I have used the database “Svenska Fifer (1990). dagstidningar” at the National Library of Sweden. 32. On video curators and critics, see Sturken (1990, 13. On the introduction of video art in Sweden, see 104). Rynell Åhlén (2011). 33. On the role of particular art critics, see Sjölin (2003b, 14. For a more thorough discussion on the debate sur- 140), Gee (1999, 9), Orrghen (2003)andArvidsson rounding the introduction of video art in Sweden, see (2008, 126–132). Rynell Åhlén (2011). Although paying attention to 34. Sjölin (2003b, 132) argues that the illustrations a similar period in the history of video art in could replace the descriptive function of art Sweden, the main difference between Rynell Åhlén’s criticism. investigation and this study is that Rynell Åhlén uses art criticism as a source for research, whereas in this study, art criticism is the primary object of study. Notes on contributor 15. But see Orrghen (2007). 16. See, for example, Berger (1998a), Rubinstein (2006), Anna Orrghen is a researcher and senior lecturer at the Elkins (2003), Elkins and Newman (2008) and Department of Art History at Uppsala University, Sweden. Baker, Krauss, Buchloh, Joselit, Fraser, Meyer, She holds a PhD in media and communication studies Storr, Foster, Miller and Molesworth (2002). from Stockholm university and has published on art, 17. See Hellman and Jaakkola (2011), Jaakkola (2012, science and technology collaborations, art and media, art 2015a, 2015b) and Sarrimo (2017). criticism, the history of computer art, digital art. 18. On photography, see Holmes Smith (2005) who pays attention to the idea that the critic is seldom familiar with an artwork while it is new as one Disclosure statement reason as to why there is a lack of knowledge. 19. For example, Offshore (2006) argues that new media No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author. art often is neglected in art criticism because it is based on different values, and creates other concepts of time and space. Funding 20. Attempts have been made to tackle the situation. The contributors in Penny (1995) make a call for This work was supported by Ridderstads stiftelse för his- a different art criticism in order to analyse the new torisk grafisk forskning and Wahlgrenska stiftelsen. art. The lack of knowledge within photo criticism is articulated in Coleman (2002). See also Holmes Smith (2005), who argues for creating a canon as ORCID one way to increase the knowledge. Anna Orrghen http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2598-2608 21. When Japan nu/Sverige nu was shown at Kulturhuset in Stockholm it was part of a wider context also including French and German video art, referred to as References “Videokonst från Japan—Sverige—Västtyskland— Frankrike.” Kulturhuset (1988). In this article, Japan Andersson, L. G., J. Sundholm, and A. Söderbergh nu/Sverige nu is used when referring to the exhibition. Widding. 2010. A History of Swedish Experimental Film 22. See, for example, Hedlin Hayden (2015). Culture: From Early Animation to Video Art. Stockholm: 23. See, for example, Ericsson (1991), Nilsson (1987), National Library of Sweden. Soneson (1985) and Malmqvist (1985). Armes, R. 1988. On Video. London: Routledge. 24. See, for example, Blom (2016), Liljefors (2005), Arvidsson, K. 2008. Den romantiska postmodernismen: Armes (1988) and Meigh-Andrews (2014). Konstkritiken och det romantiska i 1980-talets och 1990- 25. See, for example, Liljefors (2005), particularly Chapter 2 talets svenska konst. Göteborg: Göteborgs universitet. “Videokonsten och mediets särart,” 43–67; Armes Baker, G., R. Krauss, B. Buchloh, D. Joselit, A. Fraser, J. (1988), especially Chapter 7 “Aesthetics of Video Meyer, R. Storr, H. Foster, J. Miller and H. Molesworth. JOURNAL OF AESTHETICS & CULTURE 11

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