404
KoloWn’s use of digital tools is part of their exploration of space, material and process. For them, the web could be an extension of public spaces. Internet images and open-sourced codes are in line with the idea of ready-made materials that artists can utilize and develop.
404 is an internet code error that usually comes out when you try to access an unavailable webpage. In the “404” exhibition, KoloWn showcases on canvas paintings, collages and on paper works. The collection is in contrast with their previous projects in the last 3 years that were mostly online, or physical shows with an online component. However, even though these works are rendered physically, they are a byproduct of KoloWn’s explorations on the web, travels and public installations.
Generated images from their net art projects, screenshots/ scrapped images from the internet, and random photos on their phones are copied onto the canvas or paper creating a bizarre juxtaposition that are either influenced by social media overload or from Philippine urban street sceneries. Papers collected from their travels are transformed into collages and the stencils that were being used in the public installations were also reused in the production of these works.
These works were started in 2018 and completed in 2022, and were made in between with their other projects as the elements of those are visible in fragments.
Image-making is an interesting topic in the era of internet and automation.From the issue of fair-use and transformativeness of source material to artificial intelligence that generates realistic images from prompts. Will it make human labor obsolete in the future or just tools that artists would utilize? Are telling backstories and processes necessary to consume an image? Sadly, the show cannot answer those questions. (つづく) (to be continued.)
