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/virtu.all
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July 21
nature of being closing reception at 6pm @119 Hester St
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77 East 3rd St.
/virtu.all
nature of being closing reception at 6pm @119 Hester St
OPEN CALLS
Contact
Information
NOW: HESTER ST.
Decmber 20 - 22
SPAMTEMBER
Group Exhibition Curated by Shuang Cai
ATTN: SPAM!: You are invited to experience a unique and innovative event that emerged spontaneously from a random message spamming inboxes.
Aptly named SPAMtember, this open art-a-thon/make-a-thon takes inspiration from the ubiquitous canned meat, SPAM. This event goes beyond the typical “art-making marathon” by incorporating a themed structure and embracing the principles of open-sourced collaboration.
SPAMtember reflects the richness of SPAM as a cultural element. From junk mail to junk meat, SPiced hAM is a low-cost, hearty, Americanized war-time delicacy that has become integral to many global cultures and identities. Redefining the normative interpretations of its usefulness and conventionality, 18 participating artists have transformed SPAM in the realm of creativity, expression, and meaning-making. From imaginative remakes of the iconic SPAM can transformed into a SPAM lamp using both the can and the meat, these artists have explored the theme in innovative and unexpected ways.
Beyond the tangibles, SPAMtemper has transformed into a memeable form that captures the essence of internet culture. It challenges assumptions about what an object is meant to do and how one engages with it. This event promises a playful exploration of the unexpected, transforming moments of creative anxiety into the humorous and the thought-provoking through symbols of cultural identity.
About the Artists:
Addison Worthington is a multidisciplinary artist and maker located in Brooklyn with a passion for 3D printing, game design and prop making/fabrication. They graduated with an MBA in Film and Television from NYU’s film program and went back for a MPS at NYU’s ITP program also at the Tisch School of the Arts. This was their first time eating spam!
Alexsa Tolentino (a.k.a “ALEXSORCIST”) is a Brooklyn born visual artist, educator, and creative technologist. She obtained her B.F.A in film production at Brooklyn College and returned to school to pursue her M.P.S in interactive technology at New York University. Follow her work at @Alexsorcist.
anna y lin is a Cantonese-American programmer, artist, reader, and knitter. Currently, her physical presence is in Brooklyn, and her online presence exists at annaylin.com or @iguannalin.
Ciaran Short is a multimedia artist and activist born and raised in NYC. His work explores New York culture and tackles issues of race and masculinity. He has completed the artist’s residency with Localhost Gallery and partook in a photography installation at Cornell University. In the Spring of 2022, Ciarán opened co-founded All St NYC. He holds a masters degree in Media Studies from the New School and is adjunct faculty at NYU Tisch’s IMA undergraduate program.
Julia Margaret Lu (b. 1994; New York, NY) is a multidisciplinary artist and writer exploring spatial sculpture and poetry. She founded short-form publication XXS in 2018 and enjoys bringing people together.
Hank Hsu is a Brooklyn-based creative technologist and interactive installation artist committed to making random whimsical stuff. His past work includes an introspective photo booth, a multi-player rhythm arcade game, anamorphic shadow art about depression, and iOS AR experiences. Hsu's work can be found on Instagram @hank.zip or on his website at hankh.su
Mary Kate Skitka, also known as MK, or by her stage name rgb__tears, is a creative technologist and a/v artist. She started her career as a software engineer working on a variety of AI research projects, and now uses her years of technical experience to create installation and performance art. " She is currently a postdoctoral research fellow at ITP NYU Tisch, where she is studying embodied programming techniques, primarily coding as performance. Through her art practice she seeks to understand liveness in the context of human-technology interactions." In her free time she enjoys teaching, dancing, experimental web design and eating spam ;). "
Mori Chen is a novelist, painter in oils, and screenplay writer. Their cross-media focus is marked by modernity, everyday-lifeness, and totalitarianism. They hold a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Bard College. Currently, they are studying for a master’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (XE) with a focus on experimental writing at NYU.
Peishan Huang is an artist living and working in Brooklyn, NY. She holds an MFA in Multidisciplinary Fine Art from the Maryland Institute College of Art (2022) and a BA in Advertising from the Communication University of China (2018). Her recent work ranges from photography to sculpture to installation, exploring images and the spaces they inhabit, as well as the emotions pinned to objects and spaces. Peishan’s works have been exhibited internationally, including M+B Gallery in Los Angeles, Chambers Fine Art in New York, Three Shadows Photography Art Center in Beijing, Times Art Museum in Chengdu, Museum 54 in Shanghai, MP Birla Millennium Art Gallery in London.
Lily Crandall (she/her) is a creative technologist from New Jersey pursuing her master’s degree at New York University’s Interactive Telecommunication Program. She enjoys working with yarn, paper, fabric, and other arts & crafts-y materials to create playful, educational, accessible experiences. She is the head of operations for readcopy.co, a publication dedicated to promoting the work of emerging artists, and has experience in the nonprofit and accessibility realms.
Leia S. Chang (they/them, b. 1995) is a cross-disciplinary artist and educator exploring storytelling and joy. Leia’s work focuses on creative fabrication and materiality, integrating digital media into physical forms in poetic texts and tangible objects.
Maya Williams is a multimedia artist and writer interested in building bridges between cultural technologies and emerging technology. Their practice emphasizes strategies for occupying and disrupting physical/institutional space as well as techniques for preserving, gathering, and disseminating information. They hold a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from New York University Shanghai and recently graduated with a Masters in Professional Studies from New York University's Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) where they are currently working as a research resident.
Ruichao Jiang is a multimedia artist and designer. She holds an MFA in Graphic Design from the Maryland Institute College of Art and a Bachelor of Agriculture in Landscape Architecture from Southwest University. She gets inspiration from science and technology.
shuang cai is a multimedia artist, curator, and writer. Their art practices focus on logics, interactions, and humor. Their curatorial works aim to bring forth the power of interconnectedness and diverse voices across communities. They hold a Bachelor's degree from Bard College double majoring in Computer Science and Studio Art and a Master's from New York University Interactive Telecommunication Program(ITP). Currently, they are the curatorial director of LATITUDE Gallery and research resident at ITP. They were an editor of Adjacent and have curated shows at LATITUDE Gallery, theBlanc, All Street NYC, and Joy Museum (Beijing). They will be the curatorial fellow at NARS Foundation in 2024.
Taylor Tabb is a mechanical engineer new media artist. He has Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. He can usually be found in San Francisco.
Teresa Qiqi Wang (b. 1996; Cleveland, OH) is a New York-based artist. She is curious about intangible interactions and objects that have agency ininstallation and sculpture.
Vera Zhong is a creative technologist and researcher that aims to break conventions of traditional thinking. She is currently pursing her master’s degree at New York University’s Interactive Telecommunications Program. Her work revolves around education, wellness, accessibility, and multi-sensory interaction.
Zidong “Jaxon” Wang (b. 1998) is a Chinese multidisciplinary designer and writer currently based in New York. His work explores the iconographies of objects and media through typography, product design, sculpture, and pixels.
Ziwei Ji is a new media artist, a creative technologist, and a 2023 graduate from NYU ITP.
Artistic practices are her tool for speculation. Through hacking, staging, and creative generating, she crafts surreal scenes out of the material world and centers the factual alienness to challenge conventional perspectives.
Curator’s Notes
You thought this would be another part where I continue to brag about how SPAM®️ and the meat have a profound cultural impact and should be further discussed and pondered. Well.. You are not wrong. But if you really care about that, you can read about it in the press release (and hopefully you can still find the other printout if you are reading this sometime after the show.)
Let me take you back to where SPAMTEMBER began – my kitchen – a mid-cooking revelation. It took me just a few seconds to determine that dinner was going to be Budae Jjigae (Army Stew) – a Korean delight cherished since my childhood days in a Korean town in Beijing for 18 years. In a similar blink of an eye, it took me seconds to decide that this was going to be a prompt for my fellow creatives. Ultimately, this prompt is a joke. A joke I hold dear due to my upbringing with this symbol. A joke that my mom would also kind-of get. A joke that the more I think about it, the more layered it has become. And eventually, a joke where 19 creative minds gathered, laughed at the ridiculousness, and made something amazing.
On a separate note, count the pieces in the gallery – there are 18. The missing 19th? That's mine, but it's not hanging on the wall. It's a vibe, a spirit carried by the participating artists. My piece is being carried by the participating artists. Ask me or one of them to show you if you are curious. Tonight, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to uncover the magic of my creation. Because the moment you read this, you, dear audience, become part of this fluid and temporary sculpture.
Thank you for bearing with me.
Aptly named SPAMtember, this open art-a-thon/make-a-thon takes inspiration from the ubiquitous canned meat, SPAM. This event goes beyond the typical “art-making marathon” by incorporating a themed structure and embracing the principles of open-sourced collaboration.
SPAMtember reflects the richness of SPAM as a cultural element. From junk mail to junk meat, SPiced hAM is a low-cost, hearty, Americanized war-time delicacy that has become integral to many global cultures and identities. Redefining the normative interpretations of its usefulness and conventionality, 18 participating artists have transformed SPAM in the realm of creativity, expression, and meaning-making. From imaginative remakes of the iconic SPAM can transformed into a SPAM lamp using both the can and the meat, these artists have explored the theme in innovative and unexpected ways.
Beyond the tangibles, SPAMtemper has transformed into a memeable form that captures the essence of internet culture. It challenges assumptions about what an object is meant to do and how one engages with it. This event promises a playful exploration of the unexpected, transforming moments of creative anxiety into the humorous and the thought-provoking through symbols of cultural identity.
About the Artists:
Addison Worthington is a multidisciplinary artist and maker located in Brooklyn with a passion for 3D printing, game design and prop making/fabrication. They graduated with an MBA in Film and Television from NYU’s film program and went back for a MPS at NYU’s ITP program also at the Tisch School of the Arts. This was their first time eating spam!
Alexsa Tolentino (a.k.a “ALEXSORCIST”) is a Brooklyn born visual artist, educator, and creative technologist. She obtained her B.F.A in film production at Brooklyn College and returned to school to pursue her M.P.S in interactive technology at New York University. Follow her work at @Alexsorcist.
anna y lin is a Cantonese-American programmer, artist, reader, and knitter. Currently, her physical presence is in Brooklyn, and her online presence exists at annaylin.com or @iguannalin.
Ciaran Short is a multimedia artist and activist born and raised in NYC. His work explores New York culture and tackles issues of race and masculinity. He has completed the artist’s residency with Localhost Gallery and partook in a photography installation at Cornell University. In the Spring of 2022, Ciarán opened co-founded All St NYC. He holds a masters degree in Media Studies from the New School and is adjunct faculty at NYU Tisch’s IMA undergraduate program.
Julia Margaret Lu (b. 1994; New York, NY) is a multidisciplinary artist and writer exploring spatial sculpture and poetry. She founded short-form publication XXS in 2018 and enjoys bringing people together.
Hank Hsu is a Brooklyn-based creative technologist and interactive installation artist committed to making random whimsical stuff. His past work includes an introspective photo booth, a multi-player rhythm arcade game, anamorphic shadow art about depression, and iOS AR experiences. Hsu's work can be found on Instagram @hank.zip or on his website at hankh.su
Mary Kate Skitka, also known as MK, or by her stage name rgb__tears, is a creative technologist and a/v artist. She started her career as a software engineer working on a variety of AI research projects, and now uses her years of technical experience to create installation and performance art. " She is currently a postdoctoral research fellow at ITP NYU Tisch, where she is studying embodied programming techniques, primarily coding as performance. Through her art practice she seeks to understand liveness in the context of human-technology interactions." In her free time she enjoys teaching, dancing, experimental web design and eating spam ;). "
Mori Chen is a novelist, painter in oils, and screenplay writer. Their cross-media focus is marked by modernity, everyday-lifeness, and totalitarianism. They hold a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Bard College. Currently, they are studying for a master’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (XE) with a focus on experimental writing at NYU.
Peishan Huang is an artist living and working in Brooklyn, NY. She holds an MFA in Multidisciplinary Fine Art from the Maryland Institute College of Art (2022) and a BA in Advertising from the Communication University of China (2018). Her recent work ranges from photography to sculpture to installation, exploring images and the spaces they inhabit, as well as the emotions pinned to objects and spaces. Peishan’s works have been exhibited internationally, including M+B Gallery in Los Angeles, Chambers Fine Art in New York, Three Shadows Photography Art Center in Beijing, Times Art Museum in Chengdu, Museum 54 in Shanghai, MP Birla Millennium Art Gallery in London.
Lily Crandall (she/her) is a creative technologist from New Jersey pursuing her master’s degree at New York University’s Interactive Telecommunication Program. She enjoys working with yarn, paper, fabric, and other arts & crafts-y materials to create playful, educational, accessible experiences. She is the head of operations for readcopy.co, a publication dedicated to promoting the work of emerging artists, and has experience in the nonprofit and accessibility realms.
Leia S. Chang (they/them, b. 1995) is a cross-disciplinary artist and educator exploring storytelling and joy. Leia’s work focuses on creative fabrication and materiality, integrating digital media into physical forms in poetic texts and tangible objects.
Maya Williams is a multimedia artist and writer interested in building bridges between cultural technologies and emerging technology. Their practice emphasizes strategies for occupying and disrupting physical/institutional space as well as techniques for preserving, gathering, and disseminating information. They hold a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from New York University Shanghai and recently graduated with a Masters in Professional Studies from New York University's Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) where they are currently working as a research resident.
Ruichao Jiang is a multimedia artist and designer. She holds an MFA in Graphic Design from the Maryland Institute College of Art and a Bachelor of Agriculture in Landscape Architecture from Southwest University. She gets inspiration from science and technology.
shuang cai is a multimedia artist, curator, and writer. Their art practices focus on logics, interactions, and humor. Their curatorial works aim to bring forth the power of interconnectedness and diverse voices across communities. They hold a Bachelor's degree from Bard College double majoring in Computer Science and Studio Art and a Master's from New York University Interactive Telecommunication Program(ITP). Currently, they are the curatorial director of LATITUDE Gallery and research resident at ITP. They were an editor of Adjacent and have curated shows at LATITUDE Gallery, theBlanc, All Street NYC, and Joy Museum (Beijing). They will be the curatorial fellow at NARS Foundation in 2024.
Taylor Tabb is a mechanical engineer new media artist. He has Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. He can usually be found in San Francisco.
Teresa Qiqi Wang (b. 1996; Cleveland, OH) is a New York-based artist. She is curious about intangible interactions and objects that have agency ininstallation and sculpture.
Vera Zhong is a creative technologist and researcher that aims to break conventions of traditional thinking. She is currently pursing her master’s degree at New York University’s Interactive Telecommunications Program. Her work revolves around education, wellness, accessibility, and multi-sensory interaction.
Zidong “Jaxon” Wang (b. 1998) is a Chinese multidisciplinary designer and writer currently based in New York. His work explores the iconographies of objects and media through typography, product design, sculpture, and pixels.
Ziwei Ji is a new media artist, a creative technologist, and a 2023 graduate from NYU ITP.
Artistic practices are her tool for speculation. Through hacking, staging, and creative generating, she crafts surreal scenes out of the material world and centers the factual alienness to challenge conventional perspectives.
Curator’s Notes
You thought this would be another part where I continue to brag about how SPAM®️ and the meat have a profound cultural impact and should be further discussed and pondered. Well.. You are not wrong. But if you really care about that, you can read about it in the press release (and hopefully you can still find the other printout if you are reading this sometime after the show.)
Let me take you back to where SPAMTEMBER began – my kitchen – a mid-cooking revelation. It took me just a few seconds to determine that dinner was going to be Budae Jjigae (Army Stew) – a Korean delight cherished since my childhood days in a Korean town in Beijing for 18 years. In a similar blink of an eye, it took me seconds to decide that this was going to be a prompt for my fellow creatives. Ultimately, this prompt is a joke. A joke I hold dear due to my upbringing with this symbol. A joke that my mom would also kind-of get. A joke that the more I think about it, the more layered it has become. And eventually, a joke where 19 creative minds gathered, laughed at the ridiculousness, and made something amazing.
On a separate note, count the pieces in the gallery – there are 18. The missing 19th? That's mine, but it's not hanging on the wall. It's a vibe, a spirit carried by the participating artists. My piece is being carried by the participating artists. Ask me or one of them to show you if you are curious. Tonight, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to uncover the magic of my creation. Because the moment you read this, you, dear audience, become part of this fluid and temporary sculpture.
Thank you for bearing with me.