Public Program — CYFEST 17 Venice

May 9, 2026

Auditorium S. Margherita – Emanuele Severino

As one of the longest-running international media art festivals, CYFEST brings together artists, curators, engineers, and media thinkers from around the world. It serves as a platform for both emerging and established practitioners working across time-based installations, sound, video art, algorithmic composition, and hybrid forms. CYFEST 17 presents a focused public program dedicated to performance, moving image, and critical discussion—bringing together artists, curators, and audiences for an afternoon and evening of shared experience.

3:30 PM

Andy Barrt 

The Snow Flower of the North

sculptural performance

performed by Andy Barrt & Anton Ershov

The Snow Flower of the North returns to an ancient communicative practice of reindeer herders: messages left in the landscape. By arranging objects near a mound or stone, herders would transmit news across distances — sharing family joys, marking presence, or warning of danger.

4:30 PM

What’s in a Story?

video screening

curated by Barbara London

This curated program brings together media artworks by artists working across different geographies and generations, including Wendi Yan, Shi Zheng, Maitha Abdalla, Tamar Zohara Ettun, Tadasu Takamine, Carla Gannis, Eva Papamargariti, Jane Bustin, Andro Eradze, Sky Hopinka, and Dana Kavelina.

Through works created with contemporary tools—from camera to digital software—the screening reflects on narrative in expanded media practices, exploring how stories are constructed, fragmented, and reimagined today.

6:00 PM

Afterwards. Art in the Time of Change

book lounch & discussion

The evening concludes with a presentation of the publication produced by CYLAND Foundation and published by CURA. The discussion, moderated by Prof. Silvia Burini, will feature contributions from Valentino Catricalà, Barbara London, and Li Zhenhua.

Focusing on artistic practices in times of transformation, the conversation will address how contemporary art responds to shifting technological, environmental, and cultural conditions.