Google Art Exhibition: from the aesthetics of mashup to media actvism

Abstract

This study refers to the critical use of the internet by artists at the “Google art, or how to hack Google” exhibition. On one hand, the artwork offers examples of that which is now becoming known as the aesthetics of mashup and remix. On the other hand, the artwork exceeds the usage dimension of these tools and becomes a questioning strategy, in the form of a media hoax. By analyzing some of this work, this study suggests that these artistic and critical uses of the mashup and hoax languages are a form of social intervention where interaction and participation imply not only in artistic fruition but also in the construction and the collective dissemination of critical and dissonant thought.