All Hail P.P. Smithson
Given how niche your previous themes were and how broad internet art is, why write about this theme?
P: Internet art and our previous themes are not mutually exclusive, in fact many of the work that we have talked about in the previous themes are from the internet - what is not on the internet these days. But to answer your question, we want to explore new genres of art, if you cannot already tell from our atypical themes. Internet art here perhaps acts as an umbrella term for our themes.
What’s your favorite type of internet art?
J: Considering how much time I spend on the internet, what don’t I like? I love the shitty YTP videos (which is a pun); and also digital art, because it’s something I like to partake in. I also enjoy looking at things on the internet that are accidentally art, you know? Above all though… I just love videos! Movies, documentaries, vlogs, jokes..
M: Wow, you actually know technology, old man.
J: There’s a lot I know, actually. I’ve a good few millennia on you, young man. But enough of that. Let’s let Peter speak!
P: My favourite type of internet art are the videos that loops infinitely on instagram, be it a jelly-like person getting squished (not gory), or a pendulum that swings back and forth through an opening in a highly satisfying manner. The automatic looping shifts how I view the video, and I thought that is an interesting aspect of internet art - your perspective is filtered by the structure of the platform that it is shared on, if that interacts with the art.
Is internet art the future of art or simply a contemporary competitor?
M: Loaded question. Depends on your perspective and how you define Internet art — like I said before, it’s none and all of the above — it’s the medium, the platform, the artwork itself, archive, gallery, and more. Digital art differs from internet art, but both are slippery. What do you define as internet art?
Without a collective philosophy, can it be compared to movements such as modern art and postmodern art, which have their own sub-movements e.g. Dada-ism and neoclassicism?
As virtual and augmented reality lead to digital spaces and artworks that don’t have to be realistic but are ultimately grounded in our imagination and senses (you can’t paint with a color you don’t know), internet art has the potential to be the future.
However, given how extensive the internet is in our work, and personal lives now, it is timeless. It’s a massive archive, and so it’s past, present, & future. Not just for art, but for everything.
Unless World War 3 happens and we’re back to dirt, the internet is here to stay, and likewise internet art. Contemporary art has no singular movement. Is contemporary art not just postmodern, or post-post modern, or even post-post-post-to the infinite power modern art?
People will always go back to previous mediums and platforms like classicism, vinyl, retro, whatever. Contemporary competitors are a compelling idea, but there’s always an audience for any type of art. After all, art doesn’t have to make money or function — it simply is. But I’m just an old white man. What do you think?
If you were an artist rather than a critic on the internet, would you take on a persona? How would it differ from your critic persona?
J: It would be fun, wouldn’t it? The idea of playing another role in a professional sense, or maybe to adopt the personality of someone perhaps the complete opposite of me: an awkward repressed mortal little kid who is super lonely but cannot communicate that longing for social interaction with others due to their inability to trust or feel Anything anymore… that would be fun! It would also be incredibly difficult, I’d imagine, to keep up that act.
But then again, who doesn’t wear a different persona to different events? My work personality differs greatly from my Friday night demeanour, and none of those compare to my true form. I’d show you guys, but I’m afraid you’ll be too scared to compliment me.
M: Ha. Ha. Don’t worry, you’re already scary-looking, Hans.
Anyways, funny you ask that. I was an artist turned critic. My name, Michelangelo Merisi da Vinci, is an amalgamation of Michelangelo who painted the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio who painted The Calling of Saint Matthew, and Leonardo da Vinci the Mona Lisa. My parents were weird — amateur critics and artists themselves.
The internet allows for anonymity and even encourages it with avatars and usernames and multiple accounts. Even now, I write under MMXX or Michelangelo Merisi da Vinci, a white male critic who still remains charming despite his receding talents. But what if I’m ancient Hans or sharp Pete or the average Joe? Am I truly white or male or straight? Am I privileged? Did you respect my critiques more, less, or the same? Am I a liar — and if so, the question is did I lie from the start or just now?
Remember, dear, a mask only makes man honest.
As an artist persona, I think I’d want to be closer to my true self as a matter of pride. If my work is applauded as masterpieces, I want you to remember my name. My legacy. I’d be more vulnerable inherently as my artwork would reflect me more than my critiques. However, it is tempting to adapt another persona whether for the anonymity, or the possibility of more success. But who do you think I am? I’ll be your dream.
P: As a critic, I have been told, and I sometimes catch myself being very harsh on others. I don’t take offence in that, as I believe the point of a critique is to challenge the original, to evoke more thinking! Artists work on the project for a long time and they need a fresh pair of eyes to point out what’s missing. Nonetheless, I have been trying to contain my criticisms and get out of trouble…. But if I were an artist, I would be grateful to receive the blessing of a brutal lashing from P.P. Smithson, be humble and just listen to what I have to say.
J: I want a brutal lashing from P.P. Smithson!
M: Weird kink but okay.. Should we sacrifice your art then, Hans? I’ve seen your scattered canvases — you should stop hogging up the kitchen.
J: What about your bedroom ceiling? We might as well photograph that old thing and let PP decide which is better.
M: Bitch, it’s vintage. You’re just ancient but you still paint like a toddler throwing a tantrum with dollar store acrylics.
J: What can I say, I’m a big fan of the Expressionists. But let’s be adults here: what do you think we should write about next? You being the audience, of course.
M: Should P.P. Smithson be brutally honest about Hans’ art? Let us know in the ask box! Say yes (:
J: All Hail the Brutal P.P. …
Photo: Purl, 2018
