The War According to eBay 2010

Hito Steyerl made “The War According to eBay” using a display of mounted screen prints, each bearing a simple arrangement of colored shapes. The marks are flat, uniform, and evenly distributed. They remind me of a child's playful exploration of form and color, and yet they are stark and somewhat bleak. These colors and shapes jump out against the white background, pulling you in. Up close, the physical absence of the artist becomes more apparent. There's no evidence of brushstrokes, no texture, just clean, almost clinical surfaces. Think of the panel with the red dots. They are scattered and mimic the look of the digital interface, like an error message. Yet, there's something inherently human in their imperfections. Steyerl’s work bears some relation to that of Gerhard Richter, who similarly investigated the translation of images and information into the domain of painting. Both artists invite us to question the nature of reality and the way it's mediated through technology and art. Ultimately, the meaning is fluid, shifting with each viewer's gaze.