A work by the world’s most famous digital artist, Beeple aka Mike Winkelmann, has joined the Castello di Rivoli collection. The work is a scathing tirade against cryptocurrency entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried.
Castello di Rivoli – Museum of Contemporary Art has announced its entry into the permanent collection of the works of Beeples (Mike Winkelmann; Fond du Lac, 1981) entitled FTX Board Meeting, Day #5676 11.13.2022, donated by the artist to the museum. Work that exists in both the physical and digital realms includes nft (non-fungible token), which is a digital image registered with a blockchain technology Through a smart contract and a physical component in a single version 1/1, a large oil painting on canvas,
This work already has a complicated history, as when Castello di Rivoli attempted to show Bepal’s work on the museum’s YouTube channel, it was censored by YouTube because of them. rule against nudity, While the image is undeniably provocative, Beeple uses the visual language of pornography and the cartoonish graphics of the digital world to criticize the carelessness and juvenile immaturity of tech entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried, the very young founder of FTX (a cryptocurrency exchange). have used. company, which collapsed in 2022).
The 31-year-old entrepreneur, founder and former CEO of cryptocurrency exchange platform FTX, one of the youngest billionaires in the tech sector by 2022, is the sole and main subject of FTX Board Meeting, Day #5676 11.13.2022, The piece is a satirical reflection on the story involving Bankman-Fried, who was arrested in December 2022 on charges of wire fraud and money laundering following the collapse of her company. sign of a effective altruism – William MacAskill’s philosophical idea promoted by Bankman-Fried and often adopted by tech entrepreneurs – which can be read in the background of Beaple’s work, which contrasts with FTX’s alleged conduct, which focused on incoming transactions from the exchange platform. Billions of dollars are alleged to have been used. Funding the risky operation of Bankman-Fried’s own currency company, Alameda Research, leading to the inevitable collapse of cryptocurrencies, The entrepreneur was also the subject of leaked news reports in the days following his arrest, in which he was seen the protagonist of the recurring orgy in the office (Topic, FTX Board Meeting, actually means “meeting of the FTX Board of Directors”). In this work, Beeple mocks Bankman-Fried in a cathartic manner through the presentation a computer orgy Where the image of the entrepreneur gets multiplied beyond belief any gender, to the point of representing the pure masturbation and solipsism of some parts of the new digital world. The repetition of the same motif in the atmosphere can also be read as an indication of a very close group of associates with whom Bankman-Fried worked and lived at a resort in the Bahamas.
Since May 1, 2007, Beeple has produced a personally created image every day and posted it online, in an exercise of the rigor and measurement of the passage of time, updated for the era of digital culture, recalling the conceptual practices of the 20th century. Started posting. Over time he has amassed a large community of fans and has become one of the most important visual artists on social media, with 2.4 million followers on Instagram, over 500,000 on Facebook and over 760,000 on Twitter. Beeple entered the wider public consciousness during his work every day: first 5000 days Auctioned by Christie’s for a record price of $69 million on March 11, 2021 in complete lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Work every day: first 5000 days It is a collection of the first 5,000 images created by the artist from 2007 to the first days of 2021 and has attracted the attention of the reference field internationally. global digital community To mark the beginning of a new chapter in the history of art: digital art. This daily practice is practiced by Beepal over 15 yearsinspired Thousands of other digital artists will start their “daily” practice, The use of often figurative material and a variety of styles, from abstract expressionism to illustration and science fiction, is a political critique of the eco-anti-use of technologies and extractive energy industries for the pure purpose of profit, though often veiled by green hypocrisy and falsehood .
the artist extrapolates Every day from the great flow of his images, to become Single and unique NFT The 1/1 edition includes rare unique works of art, while a few drops (online publications of his images). Every day NFT) appear from time to time in more affordable versions as multiples of 100.
Beep’s work FTX Board Meeting, Day #5676 11.13.2022“, he claims Caroline Christov-BakargievThe director of Castello di Rivoli, “is an important charity that updates our permanent collection with works created in a highly contemporary medium, which combines the digital and the physical. I am grateful to Mike Winkelmann for his generosity and respect for the museum tradition, and for our museum in particular.”
Caroline Christov-Bakargiev explains why she chose this particular 1/1 version of Beeple:
“I wanted a strong image that was relevant to the work Beeple does. While this image can be seen as provocative, the main reason why Beeple and NFT artists’ digital works became known to the general public is the financial aspect of the digital world and the sale of Beeple by Christie’s, which was paid for in cryptocurrencies. For me, the collapse of the crypto world after the FTX scandal and the asset bubble that burst last year was one of the defining moments of that world – it was like a nuclear bomb explosion in the crypto world. Beeple’s work is particularly controversial in that community because he is an artist who criticizes the digital world. He questions technology and the society that develops in relation to this technology, but uses its systems and structures. To me Beeple as an artist is interesting in the same way as Andy Warhol: both criticize the society in which they are involved. Warhol criticized the consumer society that surrounded him – which is why he created images of the electric chair, the tragic image of Marilyn Monroe, and the endless repetition and exaggeration of consumer culture. Many great artists use the new tools and new techniques of their time, but also criticize them and show the risks of their “new world”. In this work, the seemingly vulgar image of Beepal also alludes to the childish, immature and narcissistic nature of the digital world. It is important that such art is not censored by social media companies and their algorithms.”
To mark the donation, the museum organizes a public conversation between artist and director Caroline Christov-Bakargiev, moderated by digital content curator Giulia Colletti and live-streamed on YouTube. The program will be followed by a presentation and signing of the volume. Beepal: Every day, first 5000 days (Abrams, New York, 2023), in the bookshop of Castello di Rivoli, the first monograph dedicated to the artist.
notes on the artist
Michael Joseph Winkelman (Fond du Lac, USA, 1981), known professionally as Beeple, was born in Missouri to a senior center director mother and an engineer father. Study computer science at Purdue University. An American digital artist, graphic designer and animator, he is primarily known for producing short films, VJ Loops Creative Commons, Everydays and NFT. In his art, he typically uses a variety of techniques to create figurative, satirical, and fictional works that use references to pop culture, digital culture, or new media to further critique contemporary politics and society.
His free “VJ clips” have become ubiquitous in the global concert scene and are found in work with artists such as Justin Bieber, Imagine Dragons, Eminem, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, One Direction, Zedd and many more, including Super Including artistic work for. bowl. Beeple’s work can also be found at the Gigafactory Tesla in Austin, Texas, commissioned by Elon Musk, and can also be found in major private digital art collections, such as the collections of Ryan Zurer and Pablo Rodríguez Frailey. In April 2022 he collaborated with Madonna on Mother of Creation, a series of performance video works.
Beeple’s work has always been rooted in a desire to straddle the physical and the digital, often with his NFT-connected objects. human one, from 2021, made its museum debut in Castello di Rivoli in April 2022 on the occasion of the exhibition Aspreni con Fractions, which will later be displayed at the M+ Museum in Hong Kong. In human oneThe artist experiments by creating a digital/physical hybrid work, composed of an NFT and a kinetic video-sculpture in the shape of a large self-supporting rotating box, whose gendered post-transformed characters interact with virtual scenarios between rider and astronaut. I run continuously. In continuing evolution, perhaps alluding to the loneliness of life in the Metaverse, which is the beginning of the 21st century. FTX Board Meeting, Day #5676 11.13.2022 Posted on Nov 13, 2022 Everyday’s 1/1 is a unique work and includes a physical component – the painting – and a digital component – the online token.
In 2017, Winkelmann moved with his wife and two children to Charleston, South Carolina, to be near his brother Scott, an aeronautical engineer at Boeing.
after sales every day: first 5000 days Scott left Boeing in March 2021 for $69 million and started working with his brother Mike. Beeple Studio will open in the spring of 2023, a private museum of digital and immersive art, a community center and a laboratory for experimenting with new worlds.
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