Erratically shifting glitched out Pepe gifs - Smoke & Mirrors in art

To paraphrase Predator “If it moves we can buy it”

This in essence is an idea I’ve seen other artists & collectors comment on, that the crypto art space is enamoured with incredibly flashy gifs and motion. Now that in and of itself is a non-issue, generations of collectors often have a preferred aesthetic, and gifs/motion art are certainly representative our modern age.

Yet the flashing lights and fleeting memes are also endemic of the culture & style of consumption foisted upon us by an algorithmic pursuit of profit. Yes they are “of the day” a true reflection of the distorted refraction of creation and life which ever more insistently shapes our world view. But because of that they risk doing more to support a system which is continually undermining human expression, autonomy, and creation at large by reducing our world to one of overstimulation and visual manipulation in pursuit of consumption. At some point the strength an artworks critique holds is undermined by its lack of depth.

Of course if you find joy or interest in it then by all means embrace this neo-anti-style, embrace new urinals and diamanté skulls, poems in neon, or glass balloon animals. Elevate Mr.Brainwash, and ascribe the work of an underpaid intern to a bloke who once did something interesting with a shark.

I’m in no position to tell you what to enjoy or what to celebrate. Quite frankly there have often been times when the system needs shocking. But don’t just blindly lift up all that glitters or goes against the grain, only to turn around from what you’ve elevated and lament the death of what you stepped over to do so. You can’t drain a lake then complain of its depth, you can’t repeat what everyone says and complain you never hear anything new.

Putting a second urinal alongside the first is drilling a hole in spot where one already exists. Eventually we all age out of illusory balloon animals. And whilst I am deeply in favour of using the system against itself, at some point if you aren’t careful (or simply don’t care) you give more to the system than what you change about it.

A magic trick can still be impressive when you know how it’s done, however it gets far less impressive if the smoke, mirrors and lighting are all so blinding that the performer could do anything in the interim and simply call it an illusion. (Unless you’re a dog fooled by its owner holding up a sheet and stepping behind a doorway)

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I’ll say addendum this is all far more nuanced than a single post can cover. In truth it probably needs 5 years to pass and a dissertation to fully address it. I’ve been a touch glib here in places, and the context of an artwork matters, but conversely I feel that consideration of context or deeper thought truly is lacking in the celebration of many of the artworks that fit this topic, so perhaps a touch of glibness is warranted.