Post.op 2017

Curator: Here we have Beeple's "Post.op" created in 2017. It presents a very vibrant landscape dominated by electric colors. Editor: My immediate reaction is that it looks both futuristic and desolate, like a network grid overlaid onto a martian landscape. The textures appear almost digitally sculpted, very polished and sharp. Curator: Indeed, it captures that sense of the digital sublime. Beeple, of course, came to prominence in the post-internet art world, making works directly engaged with technology and digital media. How do you think this piece reflects that engagement with materiality, or lack thereof? Editor: That's where it gets interesting. On one level, it's immaterial, entirely created through software. But the lines, the geometric quality of the landscape suggest a system, an almost built environment made of pure energy. There's an undeniable craft even if the medium isn't tangible. Curator: That's a compelling reading. It feels indicative of a shift we’ve seen in recent years in art history—the increasing importance and visibility of digital art practices that directly engage with political events. Does this piece touch on those themes for you? Editor: Possibly through implication. The post-op title suggests consequences, outcomes. Perhaps this landscape is meant as a representation of what occurs after digital networks are used to control. Curator: It’s certainly open to interpretation. The stark neon contrasting with the dark, somewhat desolate landscape also provides a stark visual of the consequences of overconsumption or abuse. What I like most is how it uses this vocabulary of digital aesthetics to confront us with questions of materiality. Editor: It’s hard to pin down because it plays in the liminal spaces: it seems both utopian and dystopian. "Post.op" successfully synthesizes materiality and code, even if the method of making is largely invisible. Curator: A complex and provocative work for sure, one that encourages us to consider the intersections of technology, aesthetics, and social reality in new ways. Editor: Absolutely, a fitting reflection on where art practice sits in the digital age.