Kenny Schachter has had, shall we say, a challenging relationship with the art establishment. An artist (and Artnet News columnist) operating at the edge of new media, Schachter has long eschewed gallery models and market winds, instead embracing emerging technologies in ways that have rubbed against the traditional art crowd.
Case in point: Schachter’s involvement in NFTs, which began in 2019. “Nothing prepared me for the level of conservatism and backwardness of the art world,” he told Artnet News of the response to the blockchain ventures. “It’s been very disconcerting.”
Schachter’s new NFT project won’t improve those relations—though it is canny work. Created in collaboration with digital gallery Daata, Pop Principle is a gamified project that pits two distinct camps against each other. In one corner is a group of traditional art players and in the other, the digital art vanguard. And how will the winner be decided? By the number of mints, of course.
On May 18, Schachter will release a series of eight open-edition NFTs, each featuring a player designed in three dimensions. They include artist Yayoi Kusama, critic Jerry Saltz, and mega-dealer Larry Gagosian on the team of old-schoolers, as well as digital stars Beeple, Osinachi, and Refik Anadol who make up the new media squad. Curator Hans Ulrich Obrist is included as a “neutral player” because he is Swiss.
Kenny Schachter, Larry Gagosian [left] and Yayoi Kusama [right] (2023). Photo courtesy of Kenny Schachter.
Four rounds of Pop Principle will be played, with the most minted character in each round being crowned the winner (the “Pop” in the project’s title references Pop art as much as popularity). The collector holding the largest number of the winner’s NFTs will further be awarded a physical sculpture of the character, while other holders will be able to burn their tokens to redeem prizes.
Once the rounds are completed, the four winning characters will face off in an ultimate showdown.
That a battle royale, even a fantastically imagined one, should be raging between the traditional and digital art worlds is “juvenile and stupid,” Schachter admitted, “but that’s really the way it is.”
“It should just be one happy little universe of people making art with similar goals and intent,” he continued, “but I created a whole new set of enemies by being such an adherent to NFTs.”
Kenny Schachter, Osinachi (2023). Photo courtesy of Kenny Schachter.
Schachter’s vocal support and near evangelism for NFTs—coining the term “NFT-ism,” among otherthings—aren’t entirely misplaced. As a contemporary art practitioner working in mediums from digital art to video, the blockchain has made sense as “a way to codify work into a digital certificate of authenticity, to be able to buy and sell these works,” he said.
In Pop Principle, this utility is folded into the content of art itself. For Schachter, the project’s participatory, gamified element, leveraging the format of open editions, offers a departure from existing static art forms.
“Art relates to social, political, economic, and technological aspects of our culture and society,” he said. “In that regard, it’s really interesting to have a project where there’s a participatory nature, and it’s really commenting upon a new form of art that is transformative and dynamic.”
Kenny Schachter, Refik Anadol [left] and Paris Hilton [right] (2023). Photo courtesy of Kenny Schachter.
The release of Pop Principle is merely the tip of a multi-chapter project. Schachter currently has 50 to 75 other characters in development, with hopes to expand his cast into the hundreds. The goal is for them to populate an actual video game in a later phase, in which the traditional and digital artists can engage in non-lethal combat, possibly by shooting paintballs at one another.
(Schachter plans to “flesh out” this game, plus his other blockchain projects such as Open Book, at his upcoming solo show at the Francisco Carolinum Linz in Austria.)
Kenny Schachter, Hans Ulrich Obrist (2023). Photo courtesy of Kenny Schachter.
If all that sounds funny, even a little silly, that’s because it is: Schachter is no stranger to humor of the absurdistflavor, calling it “a release valve for life.” So even if the divide between the traditional and new media art worlds might never heal, that doesn’t mean an artist can’t make art, or light, in the meantime.
No points, though, for guessing which side Schachter is leaning towards in Pop Principle. “It’s an NFT project,” after all, he said.
“For me, NFTs are just a way to find people that would look at my work and potentially collect it when the art world was just a series of doors shut in my face,” he added. “It’s just a great way for artists to empower themselves to find other ways.”
LONDON (AP) — With a few daubs of a paintbrush, the Brontë sisters have got their dots back.
More than eight decades after it was installed, a memorial to the three 19th-century sibling novelists in London’s Westminster Abbey was amended Thursday to restore the diaereses – the two dots over the e in their surname.
The dots — which indicate that the name is pronounced “brontay” rather than “bront” — were omitted when the stone tablet commemorating Charlotte, Emily and Anne was erected in the abbey’s Poets’ Corner in October 1939, just after the outbreak of World War II.
They were restored after Brontë historian Sharon Wright, editor of the Brontë Society Gazette, raised the issue with Dean of Westminster David Hoyle. The abbey asked its stonemason to tap in the dots and its conservator to paint them.
“There’s no paper record for anyone complaining about this or mentioning this, so I just wanted to put it right, really,” Wright said. “These three Yorkshire women deserve their place here, but they also deserve to have their name spelled correctly.”
It’s believed the writers’ Irish father Patrick changed the spelling of his surname from Brunty or Prunty when he went to university in England.
Raised on the wild Yorkshire moors, all three sisters died before they were 40, leaving enduring novels including Charlotte’s “Jane Eyre,” Emily’s “Wuthering Heights” and Anne’s “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.”
Rebecca Yorke, director of the Brontë Society, welcomed the restoration.
“As the Brontës and their work are loved and respected all over the world, it’s entirely appropriate that their name is spelled correctly on their memorial,” she said.
In a case that has sent shockwaves through the Vancouver Island art community, a local art dealer has been charged with one count of fraud over $5,000. Calvin Lucyshyn, the former operator of the now-closed Winchester Galleries in Oak Bay, faces the charge after police seized hundreds of artworks, valued in the tens of millions of dollars, from various storage sites in the Greater Victoria area.
Alleged Fraud Scheme
Police allege that Lucyshyn had been taking valuable art from members of the public under the guise of appraising or consigning the pieces for sale, only to cut off all communication with the owners. This investigation began in April 2022, when police received a complaint from an individual who had provided four paintings to Lucyshyn, including three works by renowned British Columbia artist Emily Carr, and had not received any updates on their sale.
Further investigation by the Saanich Police Department revealed that this was not an isolated incident. Detectives found other alleged victims who had similar experiences with Winchester Galleries, leading police to execute search warrants at three separate storage locations across Greater Victoria.
Massive Seizure of Artworks
In what has become one of the largest art fraud investigations in recent Canadian history, authorities seized approximately 1,100 pieces of art, including more than 600 pieces from a storage site in Saanich, over 300 in Langford, and more than 100 in Oak Bay. Some of the more valuable pieces, according to police, were estimated to be worth $85,000 each.
Lucyshyn was arrested on April 21, 2022, but was later released from custody. In May 2024, a fraud charge was formally laid against him.
Artwork Returned, but Some Remain Unclaimed
In a statement released on Monday, the Saanich Police Department confirmed that 1,050 of the seized artworks have been returned to their rightful owners. However, several pieces remain unclaimed, and police continue their efforts to track down the owners of these works.
Court Proceedings Ongoing
The criminal charge against Lucyshyn has not yet been tested in court, and he has publicly stated his intention to defend himself against any pending allegations. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 10, 2024.
Impact on the Local Art Community
The news of Lucyshyn’s alleged fraud has deeply affected Vancouver Island’s art community, particularly collectors, galleries, and artists who may have been impacted by the gallery’s operations. With high-value pieces from artists like Emily Carr involved, the case underscores the vulnerabilities that can exist in art transactions.
For many art collectors, the investigation has raised concerns about the potential for fraud in the art world, particularly when it comes to dealing with private galleries and dealers. The seizure of such a vast collection of artworks has also led to questions about the management and oversight of valuable art pieces, as well as the importance of transparency and trust in the industry.
As the case continues to unfold in court, it will likely serve as a cautionary tale for collectors and galleries alike, highlighting the need for due diligence in the sale and appraisal of high-value artworks.
While much of the seized artwork has been returned, the full scale of the alleged fraud is still being unraveled. Lucyshyn’s upcoming court appearances will be closely watched, not only by the legal community but also by the wider art world, as it navigates the fallout from one of Canada’s most significant art fraud cases in recent memory.
Art collectors and individuals who believe they may have been affected by this case are encouraged to contact the Saanich Police Department to inquire about any unclaimed pieces. Additionally, the case serves as a reminder for anyone involved in high-value art transactions to work with reputable dealers and to keep thorough documentation of all transactions.
As with any investment, whether in art or other ventures, it is crucial to be cautious and informed. Art fraud can devastate personal collections and finances, but by taking steps to verify authenticity, provenance, and the reputation of dealers, collectors can help safeguard their valuable pieces.
