The First Major Auction Dedicated to Digital Art in the UK
Curated by Lindsay Howard
AUCTION : 3 July 2014, 7pm
ON VIEW : 21 June – 3 July 2014
HOURS : Monday-Friday 10am-6pm, Saturday and Sunday 12pm-6pm
LOCATION : Phillips, Howick Place, London SW1P 1BB
LINK : phillips.com/auctions/auction/PD0010114
BLOG : paddleson.tumblr.com
ONLINE AUCTION : Bidding starts 18 June on Paddle8
ONLINE PREVIEW : Pre-bidding and registration starts 10 June
LINK : http://paddle8.com/auctions/paddleson
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LONDON – This summer, Phillips and Tumblr will present Paddles ON!, an exhibition and auction that brings together artists who are using digital technologies to establish the next generation of contemporary art. Curated by Lindsay Howard, this collection is the second digital art auction at Phillips, and the first in the UK, in recognition of the increasing viability of this work in the contemporary art marketplace. Featuring 23 works by 23 artists, many of which originated on Tumblr, the auction has a combined pre-sale estimate of £53,600 ($90,150 / €66,097) to £75,150 ($126,395 / €92,672).
In October 2013, Paddles ON! launched as the first exclusively digital art auction at a major international auction house, selling 92% by value and 80% by lot. Nearly 500 people attended the live auction at Phillips’s New York headquarters, representing a bridge between the worlds of art and technology.
Building on the momentum and excitement in New York, Paddles ON! will launch a freshly curated sale this summer, bringing the event to an international audience at Phillips in London. The event will coincide with the contemporary art evening and day sales and will include a two-week exhibition (June 21 – July 3), an online auction powered by Paddle8, and a live auction led by one of Phillips’s world class auctioneers.
“Phillips has a history of introducing new collecting categories to the market and this auction is an opportunity to highlight an exciting group of artists who represent the next generation of contemporary art.” – Megan Newcome, Director of Digital Strategy, Phillips.
“Tumblr is home to one of the largest online communities of digital artists and many of the artists from the auction have been members of the that community for years. We're excited to partner with Phillips again to expand this initiative and further support some of the most innovative artistic practices in the field. " – Annie Werner, Community + Content Manager, Tumblr.
“Digital art is a true reflection of the contemporary age. From 3D printed self-portraits to architectural renderings in Google Earth, from digital paintings to artworks composed by algorithms, the artists examine the ways in which experience is now thoroughly shaped by digital technologies.” – Lindsay Howard, curator of Paddles ON!
SELECTED ARTISTS
The exhibition and auction will present the work of 23 artists who are exploring digital technologies as both a tool and a medium, including prominently on Tumblr. The artists are: Majed Aslam, James Bridle, Laura Brothers, Dora Budor, Maja Cule, Harm van den Dorpel, Jeanette Hayes, Luis Hidalgo, Sophie Kahn, Sara Ludy, Jonas Lund, Michael Manning, Alexandria McCrosky, Yuri Pattison, Hannah Perry, Heather Phillipson, Evan Roth, Harry Sanderson, Michael Staniak, Oliver Sutherland, Quayola, Amalia Ulman, and Yung Jake.
AUCTION HIGHLIGHTS
• Bouquet, an inkjet print by Sara Ludy, will debut at the auction. This work is part of a series called “Projection Monitor” in which Ludy documents scenes from Second Life, a 3D virtual world on her Tumblr, ProjectionMonitors.tumblr.com.
• Amalia Ulman, an Argentina-born artist based in Gijón and Los Angeles by way of London, has established an extensive performance practice across multiple social media platforms. Profile Picture 03/01/14 (Gijón) is a “selfie” portrait that was posted on 3 January 2014. In addition to receiving the unique print, the collector will have their name added to the image description on the artist’s Facebook profile.
• Chinese Broccolini Torta by Michael Manning is a digital painting printed on canvas brushed with a coat of clear acrylic for texture. Manning is a regular contributor to Phone Arts, an international collective of artists who use software on their mobile phones to create artworks chronicled on PhoneArts.tumblr.com.
• I was moved (on the bonnet) #2 by Hannah Perry, a recent graduate of The Royal Academy of Arts, is a silkscreen print on aluminum reflecting on car culture.
• Jonas Lund’s Under the Influence 2 is an artwork constructed by an algorithm that processed the most successful works from Phillips’s Under the Influence sale in March 2014. The underlying patterns of these top lots (including medium, composition, color, and scale) were compiled to create a list of instructions for producing this work.
• Dora Budor’s work exposes the technical processes used to create visual effects in action movies. TimetoDie is comprised of two acrylic screens with FX bruises from the film “Blade Runner” embedded between them, hung from a TV mounting bracket.
• A new work from Evan Roth, winner of the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award, called Next, Next, Next, is part of the “Multi-Touch Painting Series” wherein Roth creates paintings by performing routine tasks on multi-touch hand held computing devices.
Artists and galleries receive 100% of the sale profits. A portion of the buyer’s premium will be donated to Opening Times, a new not-for-profit online commissioning body.
PUBLIC PROGRAMS
In conjunction with the exhibition and auction, Phillips and London-based gallery and publisher Arcadia Missa will present a series of public programs focused on what it means to create, sell and collect digital art in the 21st century. The programs will include a reading room in Phillips's main lobby where visitors can access a collection of printed and digital texts selected by Arcadia Missa. In addition, Phillips will host two discussion groups that will explore digital art's position in the contemporary art marketplace and experimental monetization and distribution models as extensions of the artist's creative practice.
Patronage After the Internet
Monday 23 June 2014, 7pm- 8:30pm
The first discussion is devoted to consideration of the way collectors, galleries and institutions can best support contemporary artists in an increasingly decentralized ecosystem. We will look at alternative forms of patronage that have emerged in the past decade, as well as the ways in which the Internet provides new ways to access art.
Digital Art and Economies of Scale
Tuesday 24 June 2014, 7pm- 8:30pm
The second discussion is focused on the digital object and strategies that artists are employing to creatively monetize immaterial, often multi-platform, work. We will explore how traditional art world modes of exchange, including artificial scarcity, are challenged by the emergence of global networks.
Rózsa Farkas, founding director of Arcadia Missa, will moderate the discussion groups. The conversations are free and open to the public but RSVP is required. The events will be livestreamed and online audiences can participate on using #PaddlesON.
ABOUT THE ORGANIZERS
Megan Newcome is the global Director of Digital Strategy at Phillips auction house in New York where she specializes in product development, branding, and executing culturally relevant marketing and communications strategies. She is responsible for “bringing nerds to the auction house” and serves as an advocate at Phillips for technology, digital art, and Internet culture.
Lindsay Howard is a leading curator focused on the ways in which the Internet is shaping art and culture. She is the Curatorial Director of 319 Scholes and former Curatorial Fellow at Eyebeam, the leading art and technology center in the United States. Her work uses experimental curatorial models to reflect what she sees as an essential shift in contemporary culture, specifically a growing interest in collaborative creativity, open source philosophy, and unlimited access to information.
Annie Werner works on the Content and Community team at Tumblr. In her time there, she was the first hired intern and subsequently spent two years as the company’s Arts Evangelist. With a background in art and media, Annie worked to build the arts community on Tumblr from the ground up, and co-organized large-scale events such as Moving The Still: A GIF Festival and Paddles On! The First Ever Digital Art Auction at Phillips. She now serves on the Product team, focusing on broader community engagement and content management. She's on the internet pretty much all the time, and pronounces 'GIF' with a soft G.
ABOUT THE PARTNERS
Phillips is the only international auction house to concentrate exclusively on modern and contemporary art and design, and is further dedicated to bringing cutting edge and emerging art to market. Phillips conducts auctions in New York and London and has representative offices throughout Europe and the United States. // phillips.com
Tumblr is a media network powered by an army of independent creators and home to an audience of more than 300 million unique visitors. Founded by David Karp in 2007, Tumblr is headquartered in New York City. // tumblr.com
Paddle8 is an auction house for the twenty-first century. Paddle8 has created a marketplace for collectors by presenting authenticated inventory through two types of online auctions: curated auctions of art and collectibles, and benefit auctions in collaboration with non-profit organizations. Founded in 2011 by Alexander Gilkes, an auctioneer and LVMH veteran, and Aditya Julka, a Harvard Business School MBA and serial entrepreneur, Paddle8 has over 50 employees worldwide, with teams in New York, LA, and London. Paddle8 is funded by the investors behind Uber, Vimeo, Buzzfeed, Paperless Post, Warby Parker, and Bonobos, among others, as well as art-world insiders including Damien Hirst and White Cube's Jay Jopling. // paddle8.com
Arcadia Missa is a gallery and publisher based in London. Set up in 2011, Arcadia Missa has consistently produced a programme that combines contemporary art, writing and criticism - across exhibitions, conversations and on and offline publications. The subject focus in Arcadia Missa's curatorial and editorial process is art and its context, after the internet. // arcadiamissa.com
Opening Times is a new digital art commissioning body and platform for artworks whose primary means of encounter is online. The organisation aims to support artists through commissioning artworks, online residencies, research commissions, website take-overs and the development of an online reading resource. Opening Times is a not-for-profit organisation and was successfully awarded funding from Arts Council England. // otdac.org
The exhibition and auction will present the work of 23 artists who are exploring digital technologies as both a tool and a medium, including prominently on Tumblr. The artists are: Majed Aslam, James Bridle, Laura Brothers, Dora Budor, Maja Cule, Harm van den Dorpel, Jeanette Hayes, Luis Hidalgo, Sophie Kahn, Sara Ludy, Jonas Lund, Michael Manning, Alexandria McCrosky, Yuri Pattison, Hannah Perry, Heather Phillipson, Evan Roth, Harry Sanderson, Michael Staniak, Oliver Sutherland, Quayola, Amalia Ulman, and Yung Jake.
AUCTION HIGHLIGHTS
• Bouquet, an inkjet print by Sara Ludy, will debut at the auction. This work is part of a series called “Projection Monitor” in which Ludy documents scenes from Second Life, a 3D virtual world on her Tumblr, ProjectionMonitors.tumblr.com.
• Amalia Ulman, an Argentina-born artist based in Gijón and Los Angeles by way of London, has established an extensive performance practice across multiple social media platforms. Profile Picture 03/01/14 (Gijón) is a “selfie” portrait that was posted on 3 January 2014. In addition to receiving the unique print, the collector will have their name added to the image description on the artist’s Facebook profile.
• Chinese Broccolini Torta by Michael Manning is a digital painting printed on canvas brushed with a coat of clear acrylic for texture. Manning is a regular contributor to Phone Arts, an international collective of artists who use software on their mobile phones to create artworks chronicled on PhoneArts.tumblr.com.
• I was moved (on the bonnet) #2 by Hannah Perry, a recent graduate of The Royal Academy of Arts, is a silkscreen print on aluminum reflecting on car culture.
• Jonas Lund’s Under the Influence 2 is an artwork constructed by an algorithm that processed the most successful works from Phillips’s Under the Influence sale in March 2014. The underlying patterns of these top lots (including medium, composition, color, and scale) were compiled to create a list of instructions for producing this work.
• Dora Budor’s work exposes the technical processes used to create visual effects in action movies. TimetoDie is comprised of two acrylic screens with FX bruises from the film “Blade Runner” embedded between them, hung from a TV mounting bracket.
• A new work from Evan Roth, winner of the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award, called Next, Next, Next, is part of the “Multi-Touch Painting Series” wherein Roth creates paintings by performing routine tasks on multi-touch hand held computing devices.
Artists and galleries receive 100% of the sale profits. A portion of the buyer’s premium will be donated to Opening Times, a new not-for-profit online commissioning body.
PUBLIC PROGRAMS
In conjunction with the exhibition and auction, Phillips and London-based gallery and publisher Arcadia Missa will present a series of public programs focused on what it means to create, sell and collect digital art in the 21st century. The programs will include a reading room in Phillips's main lobby where visitors can access a collection of printed and digital texts selected by Arcadia Missa. In addition, Phillips will host two discussion groups that will explore digital art's position in the contemporary art marketplace and experimental monetization and distribution models as extensions of the artist's creative practice.
Patronage After the Internet
Monday 23 June 2014, 7pm- 8:30pm
The first discussion is devoted to consideration of the way collectors, galleries and institutions can best support contemporary artists in an increasingly decentralized ecosystem. We will look at alternative forms of patronage that have emerged in the past decade, as well as the ways in which the Internet provides new ways to access art.
Digital Art and Economies of Scale
Tuesday 24 June 2014, 7pm- 8:30pm
The second discussion is focused on the digital object and strategies that artists are employing to creatively monetize immaterial, often multi-platform, work. We will explore how traditional art world modes of exchange, including artificial scarcity, are challenged by the emergence of global networks.
Rózsa Farkas, founding director of Arcadia Missa, will moderate the discussion groups. The conversations are free and open to the public but RSVP is required. The events will be livestreamed and online audiences can participate on using #PaddlesON.
ABOUT THE ORGANIZERS
Megan Newcome is the global Director of Digital Strategy at Phillips auction house in New York where she specializes in product development, branding, and executing culturally relevant marketing and communications strategies. She is responsible for “bringing nerds to the auction house” and serves as an advocate at Phillips for technology, digital art, and Internet culture.
Lindsay Howard is a leading curator focused on the ways in which the Internet is shaping art and culture. She is the Curatorial Director of 319 Scholes and former Curatorial Fellow at Eyebeam, the leading art and technology center in the United States. Her work uses experimental curatorial models to reflect what she sees as an essential shift in contemporary culture, specifically a growing interest in collaborative creativity, open source philosophy, and unlimited access to information.
Annie Werner works on the Content and Community team at Tumblr. In her time there, she was the first hired intern and subsequently spent two years as the company’s Arts Evangelist. With a background in art and media, Annie worked to build the arts community on Tumblr from the ground up, and co-organized large-scale events such as Moving The Still: A GIF Festival and Paddles On! The First Ever Digital Art Auction at Phillips. She now serves on the Product team, focusing on broader community engagement and content management. She's on the internet pretty much all the time, and pronounces 'GIF' with a soft G.
ABOUT THE PARTNERS
Phillips is the only international auction house to concentrate exclusively on modern and contemporary art and design, and is further dedicated to bringing cutting edge and emerging art to market. Phillips conducts auctions in New York and London and has representative offices throughout Europe and the United States. // phillips.com
Tumblr is a media network powered by an army of independent creators and home to an audience of more than 300 million unique visitors. Founded by David Karp in 2007, Tumblr is headquartered in New York City. // tumblr.com
Paddle8 is an auction house for the twenty-first century. Paddle8 has created a marketplace for collectors by presenting authenticated inventory through two types of online auctions: curated auctions of art and collectibles, and benefit auctions in collaboration with non-profit organizations. Founded in 2011 by Alexander Gilkes, an auctioneer and LVMH veteran, and Aditya Julka, a Harvard Business School MBA and serial entrepreneur, Paddle8 has over 50 employees worldwide, with teams in New York, LA, and London. Paddle8 is funded by the investors behind Uber, Vimeo, Buzzfeed, Paperless Post, Warby Parker, and Bonobos, among others, as well as art-world insiders including Damien Hirst and White Cube's Jay Jopling. // paddle8.com
Arcadia Missa is a gallery and publisher based in London. Set up in 2011, Arcadia Missa has consistently produced a programme that combines contemporary art, writing and criticism - across exhibitions, conversations and on and offline publications. The subject focus in Arcadia Missa's curatorial and editorial process is art and its context, after the internet. // arcadiamissa.com
Opening Times is a new digital art commissioning body and platform for artworks whose primary means of encounter is online. The organisation aims to support artists through commissioning artworks, online residencies, research commissions, website take-overs and the development of an online reading resource. Opening Times is a not-for-profit organisation and was successfully awarded funding from Arts Council England. // otdac.org
White Film is an independent American film studio that offers high-quality film production and film direction to the art world. White Film produced a series of interviews with this season’s Paddles ON! artists. // whitefilmproductions.com
– END –
Contacts:
NEW YORK
Trish Walsh
Marketing Manager
twalsh@phillips.com
+1 212 940 1224
LONDON
Alex Godwin-Brown
Communications and Marketing Manager
agodwin-brown@phillips.com
+ 44 20 7318 4036
Page Hallock
Press and Events Assistant
phallock@phillips.com
+ 44 20 7318 4085
NEW YORK
Trish Walsh
Marketing Manager
twalsh@phillips.com
+1 212 940 1224
LONDON
Alex Godwin-Brown
Communications and Marketing Manager
agodwin-brown@phillips.com
+ 44 20 7318 4036
Page Hallock
Press and Events Assistant
phallock@phillips.com
+ 44 20 7318 4085