The expansion of the new media in the 20th century and their dynamic development at the beginning of the 21st century that we are witnessing urges to think about the potential and possibilities of the use of the new media also in art.

In the time of digital culture, cybermedia and new technologies, the reality with MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, SecondLife, YouTube and blogs influencing our lives every day, we wonder whether art is under similar rapid changes influenced by the contemporary means of communication? How common is the use of the new media among artists of the older mature generation? Maybe it is the domain of the young authors, willing to experiment? Is the contemporary art dominated by the new media?

Warsaw Biennale of Media Art attempts to explore in depth the discourse on the condition of media art in the time of media and technology revolution we are witnessing now. We closely observe artists of different age generations and students from art academies. This is the third edition of the Biennale. In the first one our guests were artists from European capitals. In the second edition we decided to present the American way of working with the new media – four USA cities joined the collaboration with the Biennale (San Francisco, New York, Philadelphia and Chicago). The third edition of Warsaw Biennale of Media Art 2010 presents the achievements in the new media subject of artists from the Visegrad Group: Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland. We invitied recognized professors (their works enrich the main program, accompanying events and the seminar) and debutants selected by their masters.

Since artists representing different generations, studying or teaching at art academies, participate in the Biennale, it is a possibility to observe the discussion devoted to the continuation or a similar way of thinking, feeling and assessing in the works of young authors, students of their professors. To what extend in the time of dynamic development of the new means of communication do these artists still tell about the foundation and basic problems in art?

The program 3rd Warsaw Biennale of Media Art 2010 is composed of three parts: the contest part – this year it is popularization of the achievements of art students from the Visegrad Group countries (professors from Polish and foreign universities were invited to select one student each to participate in the contest and post-contest exhibition); the main part – it is a presentation of works of recegnized professors practising new media, their works are presented in the Biennale publishings, Biennale website, in galleries and cultural institutions in Warsaw, in Warsaw public space and online. Among the professors exhibiting their works in the main program are: Prof. Piotr Wolynski (Academy of Fine Arts in Poznan), Prof. Grzegorz Mazurek (Institute of Fine Arts UMCS in Lublin), Prof. Waldemar Wegrzyn (Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow), Prof. Witold Jacykow (Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice), senior lecturer Zdzislaw Mackiewicz (UMK in Torun), senior lecturer Marek Szyryk (Film School in Lodz), Prof. János Sugár (Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts in Budapest), Prof. L‘ubo Stacho (Faculty of Photography and New Media, AFAD in Bratislava) and doc. MgA. Aleš Kuneš (Institute of Creative Photography in Opava). The Warsaw professors are represented by: Prof. Stanislaw Wieczorek (Media Art Institute, Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw) and senior lecturer Mariusz Dabrowski (Faculty of Graphic Arts, Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw).

The Biennale program includes also accompanying exhibitions and presentations (among others presentation of works of Katarzyna Kijek, awarded for the best debut in the previous edition of the Biennale) and a series of seminars. Prof. Izabela Gustowska (Academy of Fine Arts in Poznan), Adrien Török (curator of Crosstalk Festival in Budapest), Prof. Jiri Suruvka (Academy of Fien Arts in Ostrava), Prof. L‘ubo Stacho (AFAD in Bratislava), Prof. Janos Sugar (Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts in Budapest), Prof. Wiktor Jedrzejec (Director of the Department of Art and Cultural Education) and Prof. Slawomir Ratajski (Faculty of Media will talk about the condition of media art at art academies.

We hope the program we have prepared will become a surface of exchange of thoughts and be a field to confront the achievements in this field from recent years, both of young authors, art students and their masters-professors. The goal of the program is also to encourage to use the possibilities of the new media language and to promote the most interesting creative individuals of the young generation.

It is only a introduction to research the presence and the role of new media in the art world. We hope the context of the art academies from the Visegrad Group countries may reconcile the discussions on this subject.

Magdalena Durda-Dmitruk