■ You Minowa 's comment

When people began using a new medium --- a tool and space of communication --- to create artworks, some of the artworks went to Art Museums or Galleries. Mostly, obtaining rarity in some ways or becoming technical "Black Box", such artworks were able to receive the appellation "Art" --- at the expense of their potential as a medium. To prevent such a comedy, we launched "Art on the Net" in 1995. Not to enclose the Internet Art with the stiff system of Art, but to libelate it from the circumscription of the Art --- if we were to define the Internet as something that has a potential of going beyond the existing system of the modern times, then the Internet Art should also be regarded as something that is gradually growing out of the current system of the Art.

In the years of the "Art on the Net," we had various themes. They had social, technical, or sometimes art-historical meanings --- we believed a "new art" should be incubated in the conflicts between the Society, the latest development of the Information Technology, and the old definition of Art. But now the Internet Art has the end of the cradle --- it's needless to say such matters of course.

This year, we had nominations from four members of the selection committee, but accepted nominations from the web also (we call it the "Open Nomination System"). This system allowed the "Art on the Net" being "open" --- and would allow us being free from the stereotypes for the Internet Art. On this account, I am very pleased having the winner from the "Open Nominaton System."