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Some say art mirrors life. When computers and other technologies became indispensable tools in people’s lives, some visual artists began using computer and digital technology instead of pen and paper to create art works; hence, a new art form widely known as “new media art” comes into being.

The birth of new media art dates back to 30 years ago. It first emerged in the form of video art, computer music, artistic creations combined with scientific research, followed by digital art.

On the world art stage, using computers and other media technologies to create new media art is becoming more and more common and is increasingly recognized by many people. New media art has become a fixture alongside traditional paintings and sculptures at large-scale international fine arts exhibitions. In Europe, America, as well as Japan exhibitions are launched exclusively for new media art works and museums are established to house them.

Gunalan Nadarajan, director of the Department of Visual Arts at the Lasalle Sia College of the Arts, said digital art refers to the form and process of creating art by using new developments in computer technology, especially from researching information, communications, imaging and bioscience.

To date, art forms classified as digital art include digital images (including digital paintings, digital photography and digital video), computer motion pictures and holographic works, CD-ROM art, virtual environments (computer games), web art (hypertext and telerobotic technology), human-machine interfaces (cyborg technologies), biology-related art that makes use of biological engineering, computer music and the art of sound waves and mixed art combined with other art forms like drama, dance and installations.

From electronic art to new media, to digital art, scholars have used various names in their attempt to reflect the constantly emerging new art forms. However, since these art forms remained in the fledgling stage, their titles were usually characterized by unclear confines and repetition.

Since digital art is a novel phenomenon, artists tend to attach too much attention to form instead of content. Axel Wirths, a German designer of new media art exhibitions, emphasized that “New media art is not about technology but about content. Technology seems to bring more expectations to people, and makes you expect many changes, but in fact only content can bring real changes. Only if staff in the field of art creation learned about the developmental history of new media art could they avoid repeating the works of their predecessors.”

(Source: chinaculture.org)