This article discusses the origin of internet art and how it has progressed overtime. Internet art first became accessible after a software glitch in 1995. There was a Slovenian artist named Vuk Cosic who opened a random email that was apparently almost illiterate. All he could make out from the writing was the term, “netart.” Cosic took this and ran with it. He began creating online discussions about what this term could possibly mean and what internet art was, as well as the potential for what it could become. Through these conversations artists began exchanging ideas, critiques, photos of their work, and created connections. This concept first initially blew up in Eastern Europe and Russia and led to the start of “civil society.” Civil society refers to media openness and pluralistic politics. Thanks to Eastern Europe and Russia’s emphasis on netart, the entire medium flourished and multiple media centers opened up one being George Soro’s Open Society Institute. Vuk Cosic, that original founder of netart, still works there as they teach interested individuals international communications in cohesion with internet art. Further, multiple online platforms started sprouting up all over showcasing digital art. Another example from the article that noted the following as, “memorable sites” were äda’web, Irational.org, and Jodi.org. These sites were noted for being somewhat elite and showcased many talented artists' work and conversations. Artists such as Lawrence Weiner, Jenny Holzer, Julia Scher, and Vivian Selbo were even called upon to help explore and advance these sites. Overall, despite netart’s “accidental” founding, the concept grew quite quickly and now can be attributed to the conversations between artists all over the world and in the progression of their own personal digital and realist work.
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