What is Post-Internet Queer Art?
The term "post-internet" refers to an avant-garde movement within visual art that arose in the early 21st century. This movement is characterized by a focus on digital technology, the Internet, and new media. "Post-internet" artists often incorporate elements of social media, gaming culture, and popular entertainment into their work, creating hybrid forms that blur the boundaries between high art and low culture.
Queer art, on the other hand, is a term used to describe art created by LGBTQ+ individuals or that deals with queerness in some way. Queer art can be political, personal, satirical, or experimental, and it often challenges traditional norms of gender and sexuality.
When these two movements are combined, something interesting happens. Post-internet queer art destabilizes traditional notions of authorship, aesthetic value, and audience engagement. It also raises philosophical and ethical questions about who has access to certain types of knowledge and how we should think about identity in a digital age. In this essay, I will explore some of these issues in more detail.
Authorship and Post-Internet Queer Art
In post-internet queer art, authorship is destabilized because many works are collaborative and interactive.
Some artists create games or apps that invite users to contribute their own content or participate in the creation process. Others use software to generate random images or text, which they then manipulate and recontextualize. Still others appropriate existing media (such as memes or YouTube videos) and remix them in unexpected ways.
This approach to artmaking challenges our assumptions about what constitutes an artist. Who gets to call themselves an "artist"? What makes someone's work art instead of mere entertainment? And how do we judge the quality of an artwork when its creation involves so many people and technologies?
Aesthetics and Post-Internet Queer Art
The aesthetics of post-internet queer art are also unconventional. Many pieces are glitchy, pixelated, and abstract. They may look like something you could find on a computer screen or phone display. Some incorporate video game graphics or emojis. Others have a raw, DIY quality that feels more like a student project than a polished professional work.
These aesthetic choices challenge our ideas about what is beautiful or worthwhile. They ask us to consider why certain types of art are valued over others, and whether beauty is objective or subjective. They also prompt us to think about who has access to high culture and whose taste counts for nothing.
Audience Engagement and Post-Internet Queer Art
Post-internet queer art often encourages audience participation and engagement. It may involve performance, installation, or interactive elements. In some cases, viewers must complete tasks or solve puzzles to understand the work. This type of art asks us to question our role as passive observers and to think critically about our relationship with media and technology.
It also raises questions about who should be able to participate in art. Can everyone make meaningful contributions? How can we ensure that marginalized voices are heard? And how do we balance the desire for public engagement with privacy concerns around personal data and security?
Philosophical and Ethical Questions
Post-internet queer art raises philosophical and ethical questions about identity, knowledge, and power. What does it mean to be an individual in an age when so much information is shared online? Who gets to define what is real or true? And who has access to certain forms of knowledge (such as medical research or legal documents)?
This art also prompts us to consider our responsibilities as consumers and creators. Are we responsible for the content we consume and share online? Do we have a duty to create art that challenges dominant narratives and expands our understanding of ourselves and others? And if so, what form might that take?
Post-internet queer art destabilizes traditional notions of authorship, aesthetic value, and audience engagement. It raises philosophical and ethical questions about who gets to speak and whose voice matters most in a digital age. By blurring boundaries between high and low culture, these artists challenge us to rethink what counts as art and who has the right to claim authority over cultural production.