Centre for Art Tapes

A nasty kid in a new town.

“BILLED-A-BEAR ʕ´•ᴥ•`ʔ” is a video installation that satirizes the ever-widening popularity of non-fungible tokens (known as NFTs) and their value in the art market. This work remixes the capitalist jargon, authentication practices and digital branding surrounding NFTs in comparison to the white-hot Beanie Baby resale market. The video looks at bear symbolism in culture and media – a commonly reproduced form seen in toys, television, video games, books and candy. This work critiques originality, progressive and e-commerce platforms contextualized in a time of rapid digital reproduction under capitalism.

[AD]Venture Capital is a video analysis of the tourism industry’s relationship to power, capital, and surveillance. In it, the artist crafts a surreal portrait of a popular military vehicle-turned-tour-bus attraction’s mascot, The Harbour Hopper Frog. This character longs for a civilized life while trapped in a matrix database known as "DigiLand." In a blend of manipulated drone footage, webcam recordings, and pop cultural imagery [AD]Venture Capital is a poetic narrative documenting information privacy and image circulation amidst a muddling of online/offline landscapes.

A man is recorded swimming at an indoor pool complex.