CYLAND was founded by a group of independent artists and curators to encourage dialog between artists and engineers, educate artists how to use creative technologies, foster innovation, and promote new media among emerging and established artists, as well as audiences.
The inaugural CYBERFEST was held in 2007 in Saint Petersburg. The event was co-organized by CYLAND MediaArtLab, the National Center of Contemporary Art and the Saint Petersburg Arts Project. Its partners were the State Hermitage Youth Education Center, as well as a number of Saint Petersburg museums and galleries.
The first six editions of the festival took place in Saint Petersburg, but in 2013 the festival expanded its geography and presented a parallel event in Berlin. Since then, CYFEST events have been held in New York, Tokyo, Moscow, Bogota, London, and other cities.
The festival was renamed CYFEST in 2015, but in Russia, both names are still used interchangeably. Showcasing over 80 artists from around the world, CYFEST is the biggest new media event in Russia. Over the years, it has featured artists from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Finland, Italy, Japan, the Philippines, Russia, the United States, and other countries.
CYFEST has been held in Saint Petersburg’s top art institutions. Its venues have included the State Hermitage Youth Educational Center, the Sergey Kuryokhin Modern Art Center, the State Museum of the History of Saint Petersburg, the Russian Academy of Arts, Creative Space TKACHI, the Saint Petersburg Stieglitz State Academy of Art and Design, the Saint Petersburg Sound Museum, and more.
The festival focuses on all kinds of new media art, including video art, net art, sound art, robotic art, and more. Its program includes exhibitions, performances, installations, presentations, and other events designed to showcase new media art. The festival also hosts an educational program with lectures, seminars and workshops dedicated to contemporary art and technology.
