Petra Cortright is an American artist born on July 19, 1986, in Santa Barbara, California. She is a pioneering figure in the digital art world, known for her innovative use of internet platforms and software to create her artworks. Cortright's work spans a variety of mediums, including video, painting, and digital media, making her a versatile artist whose creations reflect the dynamic nature of digital culture. Cortright's journey into the art world began at a young age, influenced by her surroundings and the burgeoning internet culture of the early 2000s. She attended Santa Barbara High School, where she started learning Photoshop in 2002, laying the groundwork for her future as a digital artist. Despite her talent in soccer, which presented an alternative career path, Cortright chose to pursue art, a decision that would lead her to become a significant figure in the digital art movement. She furthered her education in the arts by attending Parsons School of Design, The New School, New York, NY, in 2008, and the California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA, in 2004. Despite dropping out of Parsons, the experience of living in New York and later Berlin played a crucial role in her development as an artist. These cities provided her with the opportunity to immerse herself in vibrant artistic communities, shaping her approach to art and allowing her to connect with like-minded individuals. Cortright's early work focused on video self-portraits, which she manipulated using default effect tools and uploaded to YouTube with spam captions. This innovative approach to self-portraiture and her use of the internet as a platform for her art quickly garnered attention. One of her most notable early works is "VVEBCAM" (2007), a video that explores the representation of the physical body in a digital world and the artist's relationship with the camera. The video was controversially removed from YouTube due to the use of "offensive" keywords, highlighting the challenges and censorship issues faced by digital artists. As Cortright's career progressed, she expanded her practice to include digital paintings and installations. Her digital paintings are created using Photoshop, where she meticulously layers images found online with digital drawings. This process results in complex compositions that blend the abstract with the figurative, printed on various materials such as aluminum, linen, and paper. These works not only showcase Cortright's skill as a digital painter but also her ability to transform the digital into the physical, challenging traditional notions of painting. Cortright's art has been exhibited in prestigious institutions and galleries worldwide, including the New Museum in New York, the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, and the Venice Biennale. Her work is part of several private and public collections, such as the Péréz Museum in Miami, the Moderna Museet in Stockholm, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In 2015, she received Rhizome's Future-Proof award alongside Paul Chan & Badlands, further cementing her status as a leading figure in digital art. Beyond her individual achievements, Cortright has played a significant role in the development of the digital art community. She has been involved in various "surf clubs," collaborative online platforms where artists share and discuss their work. These communities have been instrumental in shaping the discourse around digital art and its place within the broader art world. Cortright's work is characterized by a deep engagement with the aesthetics and possibilities of digital technology. She explores themes of identity, representation, and the intersection of the virtual and the real. Her use of internet imagery and digital tools reflects a contemporary landscape where the boundaries between online and offline life are increasingly blurred. Through her art, Cortright invites viewers to reconsider their relationship with digital media and the ways in which it shapes our perception of the world. Living and working in Los Angeles, Cortright continues to push the boundaries of digital art. Her commitment to exploring the potential of digital media, combined with her innovative use of technology, makes her a pivotal figure in contemporary art. As digital culture evolves, Cortright's work remains at the forefront, offering a critical and creative perspective on the digital age.

Petra Cortright Quotes and Sales of Works

Ponti Art Gallery selects and deals with paintings by the artist. Upon request, we provide free estimates and evaluations, communicate prices, quotations, and current market values.

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