Feral File: Doppleganger

Tuesday 16th August, 2022 - Bruce Sterling

Doppelganger

Announcing a new group show that crosses and fuses notions of digital and physical self, curated by Chris Coleman.

Exhibition Opening:
August 25, 2022
14:00 UTC (7am Los Angeles, 11am São Paulo, 4pm Berlin, 10pm Shanghai)
Collecting begins one hour later

See the Price List for complete details.

Please join us on Twitter Spaces for a conversation with the artists on August 25 at 14:00 UTC.

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““““Metamultimouse” by Matthew Plummer-Fernandez.  Image courtesy of the artist and Feral File.
 Image courtesy of the artist and Feral File.

“Metamultimouse” by Matthew Plummer-Fernández. Image courtesy of the artist and Feral File.

Feral File is pleased to announce Doppelganger, an exhibition featuring works by Matthew Plummer-Fernández, Jeremy Bailey, Rodell Warner, Sophie Kahn, Rujunko Pugh (Syberweerd), Laleh Mehran, and LaTurbo Avedon.

Collectors of these editions will be eligible to receive a “doppelganger,” in the form of a 3D printed counterpart of the work from Shapeways. Feral File will contact collectors within two weeks of the auction closing for fulfillment. Shipping and printing costs are included in the price of the work. Note that all orders will take 6-8 weeks to deliver.

Curator Chris Coleman on the exhibition:

“The works in Doppelganger explore identities that cross and fuse boundaries. Each of the artists are exploring how they define the self, especially in connection with technological change. Each of the works will exist in digital and physical forms, the same and yet also very different because of the materiality or lack thereof. Perhaps each format will bring collectors a different understanding of the ideas, empowered by touch instead of channeling through a cursor. Hopefully balance and reconciliation can be found between the physical and digital, letting us celebrate both and also consider what control means in the rapids of our swift life streams.”

Preview of the Artworks:

““Relic Viewports” by LaTurbo Avedon. Image courtesy of the artist and Feral File

“Relic Viewports” by LaTurbo Avedon. Image courtesy of the artist and Feral File.

Relic Viewports

As avatar artist LaTurbo Avedon continues to expand the simulated world of the Materia System, here it is visualized through a series of Viewports. These objects operate as windows and mirrors of immaterial space, rendering perspectives of the Materia System through their specific forms. Materia is a mythos emerging from the long term interactions and connections with LaTurbo in their worlds. For this exhibition, Avedon has created the work “Relic Viewports,” which is tethered to a limited series of physical objects, offered as tangible records of the System’s early development.

Metamultimouse (Pictured Above)

Matthew Plummer-Fernández’s “Metamultimouse” is a digital and physical figurine that is both one and many at the same time, embodying the paradox of distributed ownership for hybrid digital-physical artworks. In digital form, the work exists as an animation made with CGI and AI software, morphing between various computer-generated patinas. In physical form, each copy manifests as one of its possible versions. “Metamultimouse” continues the artist’s inquiry into changing attitudes towards copyright, especially in relation to 3D printing, often using derivatives of Mickey Mouse to exacerbate copyright conundrums. In this latest installment, a smoothed-out version of Mickey rendered free from copyright now has to grapple with NFT culture, where popular characters are expected to be both unique and discernibly similar, often using code to create variants and randomize their distribution.

FFF (Famous Fractional Face) by Jeremy Bailey. Image courtesy of the artist and Feral File

“FFF (Famous Fractional Face)“ by Jeremy Bailey. Image courtesy of the artist and Feral File

FFF (Famous Fractional Face)

The acronym PFP refers to “picture for proof” or “profile picture.” PFP NFTs emerged as a ubiquitous format from projects like CryptoPunks where thousands of digital avatars are randomly generated as unique 1/1 NFTs. Famous New Media Artist Jeremy Bailey is a living digital avatar, but unlike PFPs, his identity is fixed and unique. How might we all benefit from this emerging asset class that relies on variation without diluting Bailey’s famously consistent identity? The solution is simple: by dividing himself into 100 unique slices or ‘coins,’ many more collectors can own a unique share of his total self. Each coin will be available as a real physical coin referencing a cross section of Famous New Media Artist Jeremy Bailey’s head. Every collector will also get access to a digital augmented reality (AR) model of his complete head for their reference and enjoyment.

About Feral File

Feral File is where artists, collectors, and curators convene to co-create a new paradigm for digital art. We commission curated exhibitions of file-based artwork, and partner with artists and institutions to establish transparent protocols for exhibiting and collecting. Evolving from the art gallery and digital publishing models, we are borrowing the best traits of each to inform a new kind of art space. Feral File works in tandem with a community of technologists, new media artists, and curators to redefine and frame a sustainable model for digital experimentation.

PRESS CONTACT
Eileen Skyers
Gallery Director, Feral File
eileen@feralfile.com