This article examines the effects of digital technologies on art in the 21st century and the transformation of art in the public sphere. After the Internet revolution, significant progress has been made in areas such as artificial intelligence, big data, the Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, and biotechnology. These technologies have also created significant transformations in art disciplines, offering artists new forms of expression such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and interactive installations. Today, one of the main goals of public art practices, which also use these new forms of expression, is to convey social, cultural, and political messages by reaching large segments of society. Digital art, on the other hand, transforms these practices, offering viewers more interactive, participatory, and innovative experiences. The article discusses how digitalization transforms the social context of art through the discussions of Jürgen Habermas, Hannah Arendt, Henri Lefebvre, and Michel Foucault on the concept of public space. What these theorists have in common is that they emphasize that the public sphere is a central concept for understanding and transforming society's political, social, and cultural structure. While Habermas sees the public sphere as the ground for democratic debates, Arendt considers this space an arena based on the visible actions of individuals. While Lefebvre argues that the public sphere is constantly reproduced by social relations and power dynamics, Foucault, on the other hand, draws attention to how the relations of power and surveillance shape this field. With the approaches of these theorists, it has been tried to associate the redefinition of the public sphere through digitalization and the transformative role of art in this process. In addition, Benediktas Gylys' Portal Project, a public artwork discussed in the axis of all these discussions, aims to strengthen cultural and social ties by combining digital sculpture and relational aesthetics. While the project aims to increase the interaction of different cultures through live video connections between cities, it also raises important ethical questions about surveillance and privacy. In addition, it has been examined that the new forms of expression and interaction methods offered by digital technologies make public spaces more dynamic and democratic and strengthen the role of art in social interactions.
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