However - I still ask myself questions about publics - I mean - is
there a public for Web art that goes beyond the community involved in
it already?
perhaps that's too big a question? i'm sure adrienne eisen gets
thousands of readers, is that web art? i also suspect the unknown
would get thousands of readers, is that web art? (they're both
hypertext works.) online caroline has been extremely popular and
successful, is that web art? if yes, the answer is obviously yes and
in this context i don't see the gallery as being relevant in any
shape or form.
but i also suspect that like any difficult art it always requires a
specialised audience. this is the case for modern poetry, modern
music, and the most rigourous contemporary art (how many people would
attend a screening of experimental video in new york city that was
not a part of a major festival?). net.art ain't no different, it's a
complex and sophisticated field and if you don't know the rules you
just ain't gunna get it (very modernist there).