I subscribed to an art email list called e-Flux several years ago. I read it from time to time just to have an idea of what was going on in the art world. But lately I’ve been thinking it’s too much like spam. I’m starting to feel like they’re just blasting too much random information now. I’m also alarmed at how similar everything they are blasting is similar to the existing mainstream avenues. At one point I emailed them asking them if they would send out information regarding our new issue of petiteMort. I never heard back from them… I wouldn’t have minded an honest rejection letter saying how since we aren’t affiliated with the top 15 museums and curators our information wouldn’t be appropriate for their readers. Having not received a response made me wonder, who’s really behind e-Flux? And what do they base their selections on? Is it really by artists or by artistic businessmen? I just wish they would be a bit more honest & transparent that’s all so I don’t waste my time emailing them.

Now I’m hearing about a new opaque email-list entity called Art News which seems to be the sister publication of a new vague art magazine called It’s Liquid (both from Italy?). It’s Liquid together with Art News seems to be wanting to provide the same services as e-Flux. Just out of curiosity, I went to their About Us page to find out… yep, you guessed it, MORE ABOUT THEM but couldn’t find any information! All I found was a page full of generic PR lines like “It’s LIQUID – a communication platform for contemporary art, architecture and design.”

Just for fun I’m gonna email them petiteMort’s press release for our 3rd issue and see how they respond.

Digging further I found an amazing similarity between It’s Liquid and e-Flux subscriber count and a similar between the breakdown of their subscriber demographics:

From E-Flux website:
33,000 international visual arts professionals…
42% North America,
47% Europe
11% other

From It’s Liquid’s website:
a readership of more than 30,000
40% in North America
45% in Europe
15% in other locations

Who’s behind these companies, what is their real agenda? Does petiteMort come off as being like that? If we do, I’m definitely gonna expand on our About Bureaux and About petiteMort section. I think we are seeing way too much of that in politics these days, so for the art world to act the same way is not a good sign.