Cultural Matter: Jeremy Bailey
The You Museum.
This last edition of Cultural Matter focused on Jeremy Bailey's project called The You Museum, which can be described as both utopian and dystopian, but always infused with humor.
Initially developed during Bailey's residency at The Moving Museum in Istanbul back in 2014, this project took the form of a physical installation in a converted parking garage. Eventually, it transformed into an online museum where artworks were presented through banner ads. Visitors were invited to share their art preferences, and suddenly, personalized artworks would appear on Bailey's hand at the banner ads, resembling a luxurious perfume bottle. By clicking on the ad, visitors could purchase the artwork as prints on various homeware items like pillows, mugs, and tote bags. Consequently, The You Museum became a part of the visitors' offline private lives, in addition to their online presence. This project serves as a critical reflection on online consumerism and exposes the peculiarities of the art market by playfully infiltrating the structures of the former and mimicking those of the latter.
On Cultural Matter's online platform, guest speaker Simon Sakhai, the founding curator of The Moving Museum in Istanbul, engaged in conversation with Bailey. They delved into the concept of the online museum and the humorous approach adopted by "The You Museum." The other dialogue between Bailey and artist Rafaël Rozendaal marked the final event of Cultural Matter 2019-2021. The two artists have produced 130 episodes of the Good Point Podcast together, exploring topics related to art, technology, and culture since 2016. In this particular event, known as the Good Point reunion, they discussed residencies and the site-specific nature of internet art.
Jeremy Bailey in conversation with Simon Sakhai
About Jeremy Bailey
Jeremy Bailey is a Toronto-based self-proclaimed ‘Famous New Media Artist’. In his work, Bailey explores the performativity of technology in various multidisciplinary projects. He believes we can flip tech's power upside down, and that technology, creatively misused, empowers us all to be famous. Bailey studied at the University of Toronto from 1998 to 2002 and completed his Masters in Fine Art from Syracuse University in 2006. He participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions, including: Electronic Superhighway, Whitechapel Gallery, London, UK (2016), You Are Here: Art After the Internet, ICA, London, UK, (2014); The Jeremy Bailey Collection, Transmediale, Marshall McLuhan Salon, Berlin, Germany (2012); Mosaic, Polytechnic Museum, Moscow, Russia, (2012); Mediascape, a pas de Nam June Paik, Nam June Paik Art Center, Seoul, South Korea (2011); Space Invaders, NIMk, Amsterdam, Netherlands (2010). (updated as of January 2021)
Events
Exhibition: 27 January - 10 March 2021 | 24/7 ONLINE
Event (1) - Online: Cultural Matter: Jeremy Bailey in conversation with Simon Sakhai | 27 January 2021
Event (2) - Online: Cultural Matter: the good point reunion (ft. Jeremy Bailey and Rafaël Rozendaal) | 10 February 2021
Header image: Banner event designed by Sankrit Kulmanochawong.