Since the advent of computers, artists have consistently explored and pushed the boundaries of art-making through digital means. Though terms like “Jpeg,” “Gif,” and even “digital medium” are considered commonplace today, they were once at the very cutting edge of technology.
Wolf Lieser, the founder of DAM Projects in Berlin, has kept pace with—and contributed to—the promotion and fostering of digital-based art for more than 20 years. While digital formats like NFTs are a comparatively novel invention today, DAM Projects has been involved with software art, Gif files, and other digital formats for decades already.
DAM Projects, Berlin, founder Wolf Lieser.
In 1998, equipped with a background as an art consultant and gallerist, Lieser founded the Digital Art Museum (DAM), a pioneering, exclusively web-based platform developed with contributions from the London Metropolitan University, which went online in 2000. Simultaneously, Lieser also operated Colville Place Gallery, the first gallery centered on digital art. Fast forward to 2003, and DAM Gallery—now known as DAM Projects—was launched in Berlin (you can read more about the founding and evolution of DAM in an interview with Lieser here).
DAM Projects is notable not only as a pioneering platform for digital art and media, but for its projects and collaborations—both with institutions and the greater art community—reaching far beyond the gallery space itself. With more than 30 years of involvement in the field, Lieser has been a long-time supporter of groundbreaking, digital-focused artists including Frieder Nake, Manfred Mohr, and Vera Molnár, to name just a few. Lieser’s unique expertise also went into (2009), the first publication in Germany offering an overview of and insight into the world of digital art.
Herbert W. Franke (right) speaking at “Frieder Nake: No Message Whatsoever” (2013). Courtesy of DAM Projects, Berlin.
Ultimately, DAM Projects and Lieser himself have maintained a commitment to cultivating the field of digital art as well as preserving and educating viewers on the history and significance of digital art and culture. These activities include the relaunch of the DAM Digital Art Award, first instituted in 2005, and the long-term collaboration with Sony Center in Berlin to showcase a rotating roster of artists.
Installation view of “AESTHETICA” (2015). Courtesy of DAM Projects, Berlin.
Today, DAM Projects continues its mission of highlighting a dynamic range of digital art and artists through its exhibition program. Through July 15, 2023, the gallery is presenting “Gretta Louw: A Software for Feeling,” an exhibition that sees Louw explore themes of technology, culture, nature, and their intersections.
Installation view of “Gretta Louw: A Software for Feeling” (2023). Photo: Ea Bertrams. Courtesy of DAM Projects, Berlin.
As a hub of technology-based art and culture, DAM Projects has something for both avid followers of digital art and culture and newcomers to the scene—from its in-person exhibitions to its online platform housing extensive resources, artists, and writing on the world of digital art.
