Pending recognition of media art: a case study of themes in media art festivals 2006–2021

This article examines the thematic scope and media-specific characteristics of media art by analysing it through one of this art exhibitions practices: the annual specialized media art exhibitions–festivals–conferences. An overview of media art terminology and a study of the evolution of technological art festivals provide a framework for exploring the themes of the three major festivals, Ars Electronica, SIGGRAPH, and the RIXC Art Science Festival. Comparative and contrastive analysis of the data has revealed that in many cases the festivals address specific themes in their calls for submissions of papers and artworks. This allows for a better assessment of the place of technology-oriented media art in the overall mainstream contemporary art and opens up a space for discussions about the pending recognition of media art that can broaden the thematic range of the entire art field.