Knockdown Center is pleased to present the U.S. debut of Internet Yami-Ichi (Internet black market), where artists, creators, and makers will come together to sell and trade Internet-related items in a flea market style bazaar. The Internet Yami-Ichi invites vendors and visitors to browse face-to-face, to “log in” to an intercultural exchange of the Internet and real world. Artist duo Exonemo and online collective IDPW.org organized the first Yami-Ichi festival in Japan, which has since spread to Berlin, Brussels, and now New York, for its largest iteration to date. The Internet Yami-Ichi in New York coincides with the first ever World Wide Yami-Ichi Weeks (WWyW), simultaneous events taking place in Taichung, Taiwan; São Paulo, Brazil; Linz, Austria, and Seoul, Korea.

The event is a manifestation of the enthusiasm, desires, and freedoms of the early days of the Internet. A time when users – not corporations – controlled data. As IDPW.org puts forth, “Once upon a time, the Internet was supposed to be a place for liberty.” Since then the Internet has evolved and impacted life in many ways. We are ever-more dependent on smart phones and digital communication to interact with the physical world. The desire for quick communication has spawned countless memes and emojis, now used like a second language. Social media and data sharing sites are hubs for friendships and knowledge. Privacy, anonymity, and freedom of speech have become critical points of debate as companies enforce copyright laws, activities such as “liking” are tracked and monetized, and forum trolls wreak havoc on message boards. The Internet Yami-Ichi brings these experiences in virtual space to the real world – creating a humorous and timely discussion of Internet culture.

The Japanese word “Yami-Ichi” translates directly into the English “black market”, though due to an emphasis created by mixing different Japanese writing systems the word “yami” takes on double meaning of “sick for” / “addicted to” etc., so a more accurate translation might be “Internet Obsessive Market.”

Contact yamiichiny@gmail.com or visit yami-ichi.biz/nyc for more info.