The tension you identtify between Beeple's critique and its context is sharp. Placing "Regular Animals" inside Art Basel doesn't undermine the work so much as it completes the argument: the tech oligarchs have already won, and we're all performing inside their dogpen. What's intresting is how this shifts our relationsihp to "selling out" entirely. If Warhol would have loved TikTok, its becuase he understood that commodifcation wasn't corruption but transformation. Maybe the real question isn't whether artists should take brand deals, but whether we're honest enought to admit the entire ecosystem runs on them now.
The biggest sellout moment of Art Basel was the hosting of run club IMHO. Game's gone!
LOL there was a run club????!
Based and correct response 🤣
The tension you identtify between Beeple's critique and its context is sharp. Placing "Regular Animals" inside Art Basel doesn't undermine the work so much as it completes the argument: the tech oligarchs have already won, and we're all performing inside their dogpen. What's intresting is how this shifts our relationsihp to "selling out" entirely. If Warhol would have loved TikTok, its becuase he understood that commodifcation wasn't corruption but transformation. Maybe the real question isn't whether artists should take brand deals, but whether we're honest enought to admit the entire ecosystem runs on them now.
great essay!