How do we define art? What does art do? These are the two questions that come to my mind whenever I hear my friends expressing their opinions on art. A friend of mine who is very fond of art claims that art has to be something “beautiful” and “superior” which the majority of people cannot accept or understand. I cannot agree with him on this. I feel like everything can be artistic in some way. Often there are times when I glance at something/someone and suddenly find it/him/her very different. Unique. Amazing. And these are the moments that I realize the existence of art. Since “art” is really just a concept created by us human, there will never be a “right” or universal definition of it, and there shouldn’t be one. However, I find it quite important to find a definition for art that is accepted by a community, since it’s impossible to talk with others about art without a clear sense of what art is. And it is also impossible to build any conversation about art if each person involved in that conversation has a different definition for art. So, personally, I define art as a thought generator. Art provides its audience with a new way of looking at and thinking about things. Therefore, the real artistic moment to me is the moment when a new idea pops up inside my head.
With a definition for “art”, we can finally start talking about Internet Art. The art works that the artists create on the Internet are doing almost the same thing that other traditional art works were doing—telling stories, distinguishing self and others, expressing opinions and emotions, conveying and innovating ideas. The only difference that distinguishes Internet Art from other forms of art is its medium—the Internet. At a time when art is commercialized and mass produced, Internet becomes a pure land where artists can express their unique thoughts with few limitations. Turning to the Internet and experimenting art on the Internet can be seen as an act of rebellion towards the diminishing of public’s awareness of think freely and independently caused by the mass production of traditional art as well as the political control of the content of art. Also, Internet Art is more interactive than any of the existing art form, which blurs the boundary of audience and artists. “Art is for all”. Internet artists gives new ideas to the audience, and the audience in turn innovates artists, which makes Internet Art an art that is constantly growing and evolving.