agent.netart jihui salon

agent.netart jihui salon
Franklin Furnace and Postmasters Gallery are delighted to announce their collaboration in support of the latest form of the longstanding and highly successful Net Art project, mouchette.org. This occasion marks the first event of Franklin Furnace’s FUTURE OF THE PRESENT 2003 residency program.

“Mouchette” is the Net-based alter-ego of an anonymous artist whose actual identity is a closely guarded secret. Mouchette is a very young artist (not yet 13) who created her own website in October of 1996. Since then, she has taken part in numerous art manifestations, exhibitions and events in the artworld, and created a new part of her website each time. Mouchette has held a very important presence within the NetArt community and has lectured and appeared (anonymously) extensively in online and offline events and publications.

The power of the Mouchette persona, and its ability to insinuate itself in the real world was demonstrated recently when the widow of Robert Bresson, director of the 1967 motion picture from which the contemporary Mouchette took her name and some part of her inspiration, brought the influence of the French Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques to bear in seeking to censor part of Mouchette’s site. Ironically, it is demonstrated equally well by the immediate response of a host of Mouchette’s Net-based admirers, who cheerfully made the material available on their own sites, thus actually increasing its accessibility.

On Easter Sunday, April 20, the seven-year-old Mouchette project changes forever. The artist who created and maintains the website mouchette.org has decided that they are ready to meet their public, reveal their identity, and talk about their motives and intentions. This remarkable event will take place in a live environment especially constructed with New York artist Anakin Koenig at Postmasters Gallery, 459 West 19th Street (at 10th Avenue) New York, NY 10011, between 3 and 5 in the afternoon.

Even more remarkably, for personal reasons Mouchette will give away the website. The Postmasters Gallery event will provide an opportunity to recruit someone to take it over. Not only will visitors meet the present artist behind the web character, they might also get to be the next one!

Obviously anyone thinking of taking the site over and becoming the new Mouchette should be there that afternoon, as the present Mouchette wants to meet you in person.

THE FUTURE OF THE PRESENT is Franklin Furnace’s artist residency program, founded in 1998 when Franklin Furnace transformed itself from a real to a virtual entity. Franklin Furnace offers artists an honorarium and a residency to create “live art on the Internet” facilitated by Franklin Furnace, for a 2-4 month duration at a physical or online venue appropriate to the artists’ work.

THE FUTURE OF THE PRESENT 2003 is made possible by grants from Jerome Foundation, and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. Mouchette’s participation is further supported by Funds for Visual Arts, Netherlands (Fonds BKVB), and the Mondriaan Foundation Netherlands.

Note to editors: Mouchette will be available for interview. Please email info@franklinfurnace.org for an appointment.