As an individual, when is the first time that we got in touch with the “digital world”? Is it when we were taken the B-scan while we were still in uterus？Or is it when we watched the video, played the PC game, or when we surfed the Internet? The new media has existed in every aspect of our life, while the rapid development of IT is continuously revolutionizing our way of communication as well as the social structure. However, the media artwork is now faced with the threat brought about by the scientific development. How can we react?

The Goethe-Institut China and the UCCA are honored to invite Bernhard Serexhe，the chief curator of the ZKM, to give us a speech named “Are You Born Digital? - The Existence of Media Art” on June 30th, in 2012. Serexhe has focused on the media art and the digital culture for a long time. In the speech, with the example of his latest exhibitions in ZKM like “Sound Art. Klang als Medium der Kunst” and “Digital Art Works. The Challenges of Conservation”, he would introduce the current situation and the future trend of media art, the influence of digital culture on human and human life, and talk about the preserving and collecting problem of new media and new media art.

Guest: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Serexhe (art historian, curator, author)

Prof. Dr. Bernhard Serexhe studied sociology, psychology, art history, philosophy, educational science; research, restauration studies for the Monuments Historiques de France and publications on romanesque architecture, Ph. D. thesis on the architecture of the Cathedral Saint-Lazare in Autun, Burgundy (France), University of Freiburg (Germany) consultant for the Council of Europe, study on "The new space of communication, the interface with culture and artistic creativity" (1995), consultant for international NGOs and cultural institutions 1994 - 97 curator of ZKM | Media Museum at ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe (Germany) 1998 - 05 head of ZKM | Museum Communication department since 1998 lecturer media art and museology at the State Academy of Fine Arts St. Petersburg (1999) and the Universities of Bern (2000 - 2001, 2008), Basel (2001), Karlsruhe (2002 - 2006), the University for Art and Design Karlsruhe (2001), the State Stuttgart Academy of Art and Design (2011) since 2006 chief curator ZKM | Media Museum Karlsruhe since 2008 professor for aesthetics and media theory at Istanbul BILGI-University, Turkey since 2010, director of the European Unions Research Project on the Conservation of Digital Media art.

As a cultural institution, the Center for Art and Media (ZKM) in Karlsruhe holds a unique position in the world. It responds to the rapid developments in information technology and today's changing social structures. Its work combines production and research, exhibitions and events, coordination and documentation.

For the development of interdisciplinary projects and promotion of international collaborations, the Center for Art and Media has manifold resources at its disposal: the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Media Museum, the Institute for Visual Media, theInstitute for Music and Acoustics and the Institute for Media, Education, and Economics.
Under the direction of Prof. Peter Weibel since 1999, the Center for Art and Media probes new media in theory and practice, tests their potential with in-house developments, presents possible uses in exemplary form and promotes debate on the form our information society is taking. Working closely with the State Academy for Design in Karlsruhe and other institutes, the Center for Art and Media provides a forum for science, art, politics and finance.

Partner: Goethe-Institut China