The era of surveillance capitalism, which was coined by Shoshana Zuboff in 2015, dominates and controls our behaviour. The term refers to the fact that the users are surveilled for monetary reasons. In other words, we have reached the age of surveillance economy where profit is earned
by surveilling the customers. According to Jose van Dijck (2014), “[w]ith the advent of Web 2.0 and its proliferating social
network sites, many aspects of social life were coded that had never been quantified before— friendships, interests, casual conversations, information searches, expressions of tastes, emotional responses, and so on.” Being under a constant control is a part of post-digital age. The surveillance has gone further than a camera gaze; it is much more complex and diverse. Physical surveillance has been transformed into the data tracking. Every step and a click is traceable.
The exhibition tackles the problematics of today by underlining an economy model that is based on surveilling the users, and the rise of complex, hidden and control-oriented society models that are empowered by the development of technology.
Varvara & Mar is an artist duo formed by Varvara Guljajeva (born in Tartu, Estonia) and Mar Canet (born in Barcelona) in 2009. Often duo’s work is inspired by the digital age. In their practice they confront social changes and impact of technological era. In addition to that, Varvara & Mar are fascinated by kinetics and participation, which are integral parts of their work.
Artist duo has exhibited their art pieces in a number of international shows and festivals.
Varvara & Mar has shown their works at ZKM in Karlsruhe, Barbican in London, MAD in New York, FACT in
Liverpool, Santa Monica in Barcelona, Onassis Cultural Centre in Athens, Ars Electronica museum in Linz, Maribor City Gallery in Slovenia, and more.
www.var-mar.info
