On Cory Arcangel, Internet_Art and Other Things

I never thought that I’d find myself sitting in a packed room at Lisson Gallery’s Bell Street headquarters in early summer, with Nicholas Logsdail, the iconic gallery’s founding chairman seated in the second row; my mum in the back trying to figure out how ‘not’ to take a selfie; my neighbour James and his sister giving me SMIES in the third row, and me, seated on a proverbial stage with artist, Cory Arcangel, reminiscing about our respective youth online. I hasten to admit this, but I once believed Cory to be ‘very cool’ even, ‘tool cool’. Cory had attended Oberlin Conservatory, played guitar, hacked machines with good intention, and seemed so affable, dare I say, humble, regarding his talents and achievements as an artist that at first, the prospect of knowing him, was complicated by that unrelenting thing they call imposter syndrome.

Image: Cory Arcangel, ~3.2023.003~2x1.2~E6, 2023, Gold anodized aluminium plate (BWB-Bausilber 2 E6), 200 x 120 cm, 78 3/4 x 47 1/4 in © Cory Arcangel

In a sense (overcoming my imposter syndrome), a subject outlined in new book, was the reason we were convening. Here we were to discuss my new book, one of my most ambitious undertakings to date, Internet_Art: From the Birth of the Web to the Rise of NFTs. It was published this year by Phaidon, a publisher that, at first, brought out slim editions of Shakespeare and Plato, Wordsworth, Goethe, and Thomas Mann. They would later venture into art, eventually conquering worlds with The Story of Art, the best-selling art-book of all time, with 8 million+ copies sold to date. Narrating any ‘story of art’ involves weaving through a treacherous path. It requires admitting the limitation of what any single individual can achieve. After nearly two-decades in the biz, it felt it was time to narrate an all-together different story.

Omar Kholeif and Cory Arcangel profiled in Artforum online

An experiment in writing, I was eager to produce a book as an object—an iridescent artwork that could serve as a metaphor for art itself—I call it a tradeable bar of gold. But I also wanted it to be read, and for the story encased within its shell, to be that of someone whose lived experience working with and in the realm of art could potentially alter the way that we see the world. In the end, the project evolved into a hybrid memoir and social history, weaving back and forth in time, each chapter adopting a different tempo—it was composed with the fervour of a modular opera, or the most aspirational of serialised mixtapes. As I wrote, I conceded that the master project of life itself, as in art, begins from within. It is about making the abundant possibility of ‘inner feeling’ legible, to invoke one of the philosophies of German expressionism.

Cory Arcangel and Omar Kholeif at book signing London

Cory Arcangel Gifting Session

The event with Arcangel served as a crowning, a cherry on the cake, in a book tour that had begun in Dubai, and taken me to London, New York, Los Angeles, and back again. I was reminded throughout that the labour of selling books is harder than ever, and that no matter how seemingly brilliant the reviews, or sales metrics, that the cherished moments candidly reflecting on life and art, with comrades, in-person, was one of the most rewarding experiences of it all.

At Cory’s event, I got a touch emotional. We began with a piece of lyric-prose that I had written dedicated to Cory, inspired by the late artist and poet, Joe Brainard (I might just consider sharing it here sometime!) I also debuted samples from artPost21’s new editioned Internet_Art themed capsule clothing collection in a performative two-hander, which kicked off the event. Circling back to this moment now, the world feels all-together different. A joint actor and writers’ strike coupled with limitless speculation on the free-wheeling potential of Artificial Intelligence has seemingly sunk the world of culture into the fringes of a new dystopia. Where will this journey lead us? I am aspiring that we can dream-up some new beginnings, as opposed to further sequels or a return to origin stories. Stick around to keep up with the beat.

Side View of Dr. O's Hazmut Suit - from Internet_Art's Forthcoming capsule collection

The Limited-Edition Internet_Art capsule clothing collection will be available for pre-orders exclusively from artPost21 in late August/early September. Sign-up to our infrequent newsletter.

To listen to the inimitable Cory Arcangel, hear him and Dr. O on the artPost21 podcast here.

To order a copy of Internet_Art: From the Birth of the Web to the Rise of NFTs, visit www.Phaidon.com/internetart.