The article “It’s Just the Internet! Appropriation in Postinternet Art” raised some interesting points. I think the concept I struggled with the most in this reading was the focal concept of appropriation. The article defines appropriation as “to adopt, borrow, recycle, sample, or simply use”, and states that it is a commonly used approach to internet art. Outside of the art world, however, I feel like this word has a much more negative connotation. Whenever I hear the word appropriation I automatically think of cultural appropriation. We as a society have become so vigilant about cultural appropriation, sometimes to a fault, that it is difficult for me to think of this word in any other context. Every time I saw Christou discussing how an artist had appropriated web content in their work, my first thought was that that artist had outright stolen work form someone else, rather than thinking of it in the context of remixing.
Something I enjoyed in this article was the idea that art is about sharing. The Internet provides so much accessibility. I think it is the best way to share art, because it can be seen by anyone around the world. I have a firm opinion that art is meant to be enjoyed and understood by all, not to be hidden away in a gallery for the elite to view. Using the internet as an art space also opens the door for so many new forms of art. Digital artists like Petra Cortright or Carla Gannis for example use the internet as a new medium of art, creating gifs and videos, or even traditional paintings that are then altered using digital effects.
I agree with the article “Post-Internet Art’s Lessons for the Pandemic and What Comes After” that Covid will have a significant impact on the art world. During lockdown, the sheer amount of art being created increased drastically as people were stuck in their homes with nothing but time on their hands. Creating paintings and other artwork became a trend on platforms like TikTok and YouTube, further increasing the popularity of art. This also helped to make art more accessible as tutorials, as well as people trying these tutorials, would be posted so the user could get a clear idea of exactly how to create this art. As far as professional artistry goes, I think the pandemic definitely changed the theme of artwork in the same way the 2008 recession did. Isolation and loneliness will probably be much more prominent themes in artwork created during this time. The art made during this pandemic will be a lasting and true reminder of the negative and positive emotions we all experienced.