21 Oct XCopy’s Interview
A nice talk with XCopy through his/her/their art!
For the project THE VAULT by $WHALE, Eleonora Brizi interviews the artist of the month going through the artworks: enjoy XCopy’s words.
E. B.: The Hammersmith & City line skirts the City of London, the capital’s financial heart. How does this selfie look today and how it will look like in the next years?
XCopy: It feels like a time capsule for me. Remember when wireless earphones were new?
E.B: Is this piece about the pretexts that are found to start a war? Was there a war you specifically were referring to?
XCopy: That was part of it. I was trying to capture that feeling of always being on the brink of crisis.
E.B.: If this artwork is about how the jobsworth of the future will look like; since you created this piece 3 years ago, do you think we are already there?
XCopy: Yeah we always were.
E.B.:Is this piece about protecting ourselves from advertising? Are you sure the therapy we will get doesn’t come from sneaky algorithms?
XCopy: We need creators working for the memes not just for brands.
E.B.: Apocalypse Now. What are we screaming, asking, and fighting for today in the (crypto) art world?
XCopy: Everything. Jpegs (NFTs) are the trojan horse to take crypto mainstream.
E.B.: One of the new forms of mind manipulation and advertising. XCOPY, how do you stay influential without being an influencer?
XCopy: Everyone can choose to be authentic … or not.
E.B.: What did YOU expect to find?
XCopy: I find it’s best to go in with no expectations!
E.B.: Did they come yet? 🙂
XCopy: Of course. They always do.
E.B.: What do you think about what happened in the crypto art space in 2021? Is it trending hard?
XCopy: We melted faces. It’s been an insane year… again!
E.B.: If this piece is about the poison clouds of money, how do you think is the sky looking like today in the crypto art space?
XCopy: In the future the ‘crypto art space’ will just be the art space. But we shouldn’t expect decentralised money to fix everything.
E.B.: You talk about mortality through the most eternal act of all: art. Why much of your art is death-themed or dystopia-themed, although appearing very colorful fun and enthralling?
XCopy: I like contrasting everyday problems with death, it takes away their power for a moment. Dystopia creeps in further everyday, it’s hard not to talk about it.
E.B.: Does this piece specifically refer to online haters? Do you think social media should be regulated somehow or the web should stay free no matter what?
XCopy: I don’t know. Censorship is dangerous but so is letting the demons run amok.
E.B.: Where would we eventually end up if we don’t stop digging?
XCopy: Broke. This is a reference to debt!
E.B.: Where do you think the “smart” cities are taking us? Co-working, co-housing, co-everything.. co-homologation.
XCopy: To hell. Maybe we can hijack it and take it somewhere more fun.
E.B.: Could you explain what you had in mind when you created “10th Floor Ethics”?
XCopy: It was about being a worker drone on the 10th floor.
E.B.: Isn’t truth powerful? Isn’t real power truthful?
E.B.: This scene with crowded people is strong. What does “platform 24” represent for you?
E.B.: .. But you can stamp it in your memory. How do you see the future of collecting digital and crypto art?
E.B.: And now be quick! It’s express…
E.B.: From the Latin amuletum: “an object that protects a person from trouble”. What would you ask your Amulet to protect you from?
E.B.: Does love come in an open edition?
XCopy: Open editions got such a bad rap didn’t they.
E.B.: I can’t believe you made this artwork two years ago. I would have many questions about this, but I am just very happy we are still alive (from home).
XCopy: I’m just relieved to be out of lockdown. What a nightmare.
