The Primary Codes in Rio de Janeiro exhibition is now open to the public. It was a busy evening as the final work on captions and lighting carried on until 7.30 pm even as the tour with local journalists was going on. The artists present, Paul Brown, Frieder Nake and Ernest Edmonds, all spoke about the works moving around the gallery spaces. The videos of them talking about their history and art practice were eventually up and running by mid evening and when they tired of talking they could escape the hubbub and don a headphone to listen to one another and even themselves!.
Curators Caroline Menezes and Fabrizio Poltronieri were finally able to enjoy the fruits of their labour and be congratulated on a brilliant achievement by friends and family. Many visitors came including the director of the Museum of Contemporary Art that we had visited previously. He expressed great admiration for the show and for the work displayed. Conversations about art and mutual exchanges of contact details were going on all round and it was obvious that despite the long evening, when we finally transferred to the Bar Astor for a late dinner, those feelings of anxiety had given way to relief and relaxation.
This is an important exhibition because these artists, although connected by a long history in computer art, have never previously been shown together. Not only that, the exhibition is important because of the range and depth of the over 70 works ranging from the very beginnings of computer art to current advances in web based collaborative work. Attention to detail in design and layout makes it an exceptionally well hung show and all the artists are clearly delighted to be involved. All these factors add up to a very significant achievement.
