Contemporary art galleries relocating to your living room, mobile device

Artists and art organizations are in the process of taking art out of the gallery, relocating contemporary art into "venues" where the eye of the beholder is firmly lodged behind a TV, computer screen or mobile device.

While galleries and museums are well known institutions for modern and historic art, living rooms have become a virtual hanging space for innovative artists, keen to have their creations seen by a wider target audience.

In the spirit of the online art movement, renowned contemporary art institution, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation has collaborated with YouTube and computer manufacturer HP to launch an online biennial of artist-created videos called YouTube Play. A Biennial of Creative Video.

The screen-based exhibition aims to collect artwork from some of "the most exceptional talent working in the ever-expanding realm of online video."

"The Guggenheim, YouTube, and HP share a view that creative online video is one of the most compelling and innovative opportunities for personal expression today," said Richard Armstrong, director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and Museum in a June 14 press release.

"The project team came together to inspire and encourage the creation and celebration of this art form. YouTube Play demonstrates this is within the reach of anyone who uses a computer and has access to the Internet."

A new reality TV series called Work of Art: The Next Great Artist puts 14 artists under the scrutinizing gaze of mainstream TV viewers. Art and the process of creation are brought into American viewers' lounging space in easily-digestible one hour slots.

Some critics have commented that the "series sinks artistry to the depths of reality TV" while Work of Art: The Next Great Artist host China Chow argues that the Bravo TV network series is a gift "to mainstream America to be able to witness art - artists making their work and having a dialogue about it."

If you consider yourself a budding artist, or would like to leap into the world of video making, content creators from across the globe are invited to submit original works created within the last two years to the YouTube Play channel.

HP has created a series of how-to videos on the YouTube Play site that will assist uninitiated filmmakers hoping to become the next Doug Aitken, Matthew Barney, Chris Cunningham or Nam June Paik to create their masterpiece. The deadline for submissions is July 31, 2010.

Winning entries will go on show from October 22 to 24 in the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York; Deutsche Guggenheim, Berlin; the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao; and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice.

Couch-bound art lovers around the world will be able to watch the videos simultaneously from the comfort of their living rooms by heading to the YouTube Play channel, http://www.youtube.com/play.

Work of Art: The Next Great Artist: http://www.bravotv.com/work-of-art