Post-Internet Aesthetics: From Underground to Mainstream at Venice Biennale

Valerio Veneruso's article on Artribune examines how Post-Internet art has transitioned from subculture to mainstream, using the 2019 Venice Biennale as a case study. The Biennale, titled "May You Live In Interesting Times" and curated by Massimiliano Gioni, featured pervasive digital aesthetics, including meme culture in works by Avery Singer and Jon Rafman, and a failed augmented reality app by Darren Bader. Veneruso references Mario Praz's concept of cyclical artistic styles to question the uniqueness of the current digital era. He argues that the term "Post-Internet" serves both to define a cultural phenomenon and to fuel market expansion, noting the aesthetic's appeal to collectors and artists alike. The article highlights how internet-born visual languages have been absorbed by the art world, citing earlier Biennale engagements with digital art, such as the 2001 virus by 0100101110101101.org and Epidemic, and the 2013 exhibition featuring Ed Atkins, Mark Leckey, Hito Steyerl, and Ryan Trecartin. Veneruso concludes that this absorption may signal the exhaustion of the trend, pointing to a paradoxical anachronism as the defining spirit of the age.