Outland Art

Bitcoin Graffiti - Outland Messages and ASCII art inscribed on the Bitcoin blockchain highlight the human impulse to leave a lasting mark.

I wrote about digital archeology and early Bitcoin inscriptions for @outland.bsky.social. Featured: time travel, vikings vandalizing Hagia Sophia, the doodles of a 13th century Russian boy. outland.art/bitcoin-graf...

Sougwen Chung and Operator - Outland Soungwen Chung and Operator discuss how their performance-rooted practices dissolve the boundaries between technology and the human body.

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 | 𝗦𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗪𝗘𝗡 𝗖𝗛𝗨𝗡𝗚 & 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗢𝗥

The mainstream perception of technology largely places it in direct opposition to the human.

Both Sougwen Chung & Operator explode this binary.

New in, for our special #performance issue ~

📰: outland.art/sougwen-chun...

Bright Moments - Outland Bright Moments founder Seth Goldstein looks back on three years of activity as the art production DAO prepares for its final event.

𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 | 𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗠𝗢𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦

Bright Moments proposes that the revelation of the output of a generative artwork is a special occasion that artists and their audiences can share.

On the occasion of “The Finale,” a deeper look w/ founder Seth Goldstein ~

outland.art/bright-momen...

Sarah Rothberg - Outland Sarah Rothberg talks about using avatars to highlight the power dynamics and performative aspects of everyday technologies.

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 | 𝗦𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗛 𝗥𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗕𝗘𝗥𝗚

Last week we paid a virtual visit to the studio of Sarah Rothberg.

In recent years, the artist has used virtual reality to make humorous performances that deconstruct the absurdities of self & software.

Watch our convo in full ~

📺: outland.art/sarah-rothbe...

David Horvitz & Mendi and Keith Obadike - Outland The artists discuss how the performances they staged online have impacted their approach to working in public space.

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 | 𝗗𝗔𝗩𝗜𝗗 𝗛𝗢𝗥𝗩𝗜𝗧𝗭 & 𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗜 + 𝗞𝗘𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗢𝗕𝗔𝗗𝗜𝗞𝗘

Artists have always performed online—but, as the internet has changed, so too have artists’ approaches.

Now online for our special issue on performance, a conversation between David Horvitz and the Obadikes.

outland.art/david-horvit...

A lime green square with a photo of a middle aged man wearing wireless glasses and a collared shirt and jacket. Robness’s “Dorian Generatives (Lime),” 2020

“Dorian Generatives (Lime),” 2020

by ROBNESS. In the collection of the Centre Pompidou.

outland.art/centre-pompi...

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 | 𝗠𝗢𝗟𝗟𝗬 𝗦𝗢𝗗𝗔

A few weeks ago we sat down for a virtual studio visit with the 'girl from the internet', herself—Molly Soda!

The artist discusses her urge to archive the constantly changing ways that we represent ourselves on the internet, watch now ~

📺: outland.art/molly-soda/

The Artist is Online - Outland Maya Man argues that the history of digital performance shows how the obligation of personal branding can offer space for experimentation.

𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗺 | 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗦𝗧 𝗜𝗦 𝗢𝗡𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘

Hot 🔥 from our PERFORMANCE issue ✨🎭 by Maya Man 🎀

The pressure to maintain a personal brand is higher than ever, but the history of digital performance shows this is a rich space to explore.

📰: outland.art/maya-man-dig...

Thinking about the Utah teapot today 🫖☕️

An animation of a flip phone opening to show the text "i <3 u” Kate the Cursed: y2k love, 2021

“y2k love,” 2021

@katecursed.bsky.social

❤️📞❤️

watch our virtual studio visit: outland.art/kate-the-cur...

The Sphere DAO - Outland Might blockchain technology offer new ways for artists working with performance to sustain their practices?

𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 | 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗣𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗢

Performance is a tricky art form to sell & collect—might blockchain technology offer a solution?

This is the question that drives The Sphere DAO, which has been creating & collecting live art since 2020.

Read on ~

📰: outland.art/the-sphere-d...

A square image featuring a text in red capital letters outlining the rules of the Good Night performance. Lauren Lee McCarthy: “Good Night,” 2021

In 2021, Lauren Lee McCarthy minted ‘Good Night,’ a NFT performance work in which the artist sends a text to the token’s holder every night before she goes to bed.

What do you think it’s like to hold a work like this? To participate in a performance with no end date?

outland.art/good-night-p...

Shock Therapy - Outland Lauren Lee McCarthy’s art takes on surveillance capitalism with the shock effects of radical performance and a politics of care.

𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗺 | 𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗖𝗞 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗣𝗬

Get to know our current guest editor 💕

In her new solo show, Lauren Lee McCarthy takes on surveillance capitalism with the shock effects of radical performance and equally radical politics of care.

In focus: Bodily Autonomy, cur. by Ceci Moss

outland.art/lauren-lee-m...

Spilling Out of the Screen - Outland Lauren Lee McCarthy guest edits an issue of Outland on performance and digital media, and how artists are bringing intimacy and care to tech.

𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 | 𝗦𝗣𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗡

Introducing the next #OutlandGuestEditor 📯 ✨

We're thrilled to welcome Lauren Lee McCarthy! 🥳 The 'Saliva' artist is currently leading us through a new special issue on #Performance.

Now online, read her opening note:

outland.art/spilling-out...

New writing from me!A special issue of @outland.bsky.social
focusing on 🖼️🕹️Art Games 🎮 🏀 kicks off with this essay I wrote about why I think games are an 👏essential👏 medium for contemporary art.

outland.art/art-games/

Gaming the System - Outland Mitchell F. Chan’s digital works combine conceptual art strategies and computer games to show that play can be serious business.

Happy to have written this piece about one of my favorite genre-bending artists, @chan.gallery . outland.art/mitchell-cha...

How Art Games work - Outland Guest editor Mitchell F. Chan introduces our special issue on games with a discussion of agency as a medium.

𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 | 𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗔𝗥𝗧 𝗚𝗔𝗠𝗘𝗦 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞

This month we embarked on our special issue on #GAMES 👾🎮

ICYMI, Outland Guest Editor @chan.gallery introduces the issue with a discussion of agency as an artistic medium.

📰: outland.art/art-games/

👏👏👏

Running out the clock - Outland Deafbeef’s latest project calls back to Muybridge’s motion studies to meditate on the relationship between media and time on the blockchain.

I just published a new piece of criticism. It's about a series by DEAFBEEF commissioned by LACMA, inspired by Eadweard Muybridge. You can read it now on @outland.bsky.social outland.art/deafbeef-lac...

Postcards from the Gameworld - Outland Gabriel Massan’s Third World involves NFTs as player souvenirs, rather than using the blockchain to elaborate the game’s collaborative spirit.

Read Mouna’s full critique of Massan’s solo exhibition “Third World: The Bottom Dimension,” at Serpentine Galleries, London.

🗞️: https://outland.art/gabriel-massan-serpentine/

A screenshot from a game shows the player avatar from below, standing amind a glade of tall leafless trees. Bottom Dimension Agents Report: Inaugural Awareness 151, a player-minted NFT from Gabriel Massan's game Third World: The Bottom Dimension, 2022

assets. A game avatar seen from the side explodes in a burst of white light. Gabriel Massan: Third World: The Bottom Dimension, 2022

“There is a looming question here: do the blockchain and NFTs have an intuitive use case outside of commerce? Since museums are unlikely to display a project with a financial aspect, NFTs as digital postcards for exhibitions could remain the dominant manifestation.”

Tom Mouna on Gabriel Massan~

🔗👇

A pair of screens display fantastic landscapes. They are placed in a gallery where a vine-like sculpture hangs from the wall. View of Gabriel Massan’s exhibition “Third World: The Bottom Dimension” at Serpentine Galleries, London, 2023. Photo: Hugo Glendinning

A human figure with oversized hands and a glowing helmet stands in a forest surrounded by low, magenta vegetation. Gabriel Massan: Third World: The Bottom Dimension, 2022

A screenshot from a video game shows the player avatar standing in a canyon. In the background there are rocky pillars and a glowing yellow portal. Bottom Dimension Agents Report: Inaugural Awareness 151, a player-minted NFT from Gabriel Massan’s game Third World: The Bottom Dimension, 2022

𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗺 | 𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗧𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗗𝗦 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗚𝗔𝗠𝗘𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗

What role will NFTs and the blockchain find within the established art world?

Serpentine Galleries are testing the waters w/ a new show by Gabriel Massan.

Tom Mouna reviews new video game artwork ~

🗞️: https://outland.art/gabriel-massan-serpentine/

An old computer sits on a plinth in a gallery. Its screen displays 8-bit art with writing in Japanese; behind it, Japenese text is projected on the wall with green light, overlapping in places with prints of pixel art depicting folkloric creatures. View of Takakura Kazuki’s AI Yokai Summoning Ritual at NEORT++, Tokyo, 2023. Courtesy NEORT++.

𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗺 | 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗢𝗨𝗧𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪, 𝗩𝗢𝗟. 𝟮

The Outland Review is back! 🎉

Volume Two features:

📍Jonah Goldman Kay on @ertdfgcvb.xyz & Sidi Vanetti

📍Gabrielle Schwartz on @feralfile's “N=12” exhibition cur. by Aaron Penne

📍Benoit Palop on Takakura Kazuki

📍Jason Isolini on Mark Fingerhut

📰🔗👇

Mark Amerika & ACI - Outland Can GPT-4 understand the timeline of its own existence? This exchange, generated by AI to simulate human-machine interaction, probes that question.

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 | 𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗞 𝗔𝗠𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗞𝗔 & 𝗔𝗖𝗜

This month we journeyed through the wild west of #AI from the perspectives of artists & thinkers working w/ the tech.

To close out his guest editorship, Mark Amerika spoke with his Artificial Creative Intelligence:

https://outland.art/mark-amerika-aci/

How Does It Make You Feel? - Outland Looking at works by Ian Cheng, Refik Anadol, and Jon Rafman involves a sensory awareness of the AI engaged behind the scenes.

https://outland.art/phenomenology-of-ai/

A large square screen with an abstract red and purple image seeming to pour out of it, with a woman in a blue dress standing in front of it. Installation view of Refik Anadol’s Quantum Memories, 2020, at the NGV Triennial, Melbourne. Photo: Tom Ross

According to Denson, Anadol collapses both of Kant's notions of 'dynamical' sublime and the 'mathematical' sublime: not only does the work physically overwhelm the viewer, but also presents the "unfathomable operations of superfast algorithms--mathematics itself."

A large square screen with an abstract multicolored image seeming to pour out of it, with a woman in a blue dress standing in front of it. Installation view of Refik Anadol’s Quantum Memories, 2020, at the NGV Triennial, Melbourne. Photo: Tom Ross

"The impassivity of the viewer, dwarfed by the gargantuan scale of the display, serves as a kind of visual foil to heighten the tension. That nameless spectator thus provides the moorings for my own point of view, dynamizing my vision in contrast to her grounded stance."

— Shane Denson

A large square screen with an abstract purple image seeming to pour out of it, with a woman in a blue dress standing in front of it. Installation view of Refik Anadol’s Quantum Memories, 2020, at the NGV Triennial, Melbourne. Photo: Tom Ross

"Embedded architecturally into the built environment, they become environments of their own, transforming exteriors & interiors into porous gateways to a world of incessant change & transformation."

– Shane Denson

A large square screen with an abstract multicolored image seeming to pour out of it, with a woman in a blue dress standing in front of it. Installation view of Refik Anadol’s Quantum Memories, 2020, at the NGV Triennial, Melbourne. Photo: Tom Ross

"The true object of sublime wonder has shifted to the infrastructural conditions of sensation, and in particular to the invisible filtering operations of AI."

Shane Denson considers the tactile power of Refik Anadol’s large-scale, AI-driven installations.

A thread...🧵👇

I think it’s good to listen to the weirdos and misfits. Who’s making interesting things in the spaces that are widely rejected?