BILLED-A-BEAR ʕ´•ᴥ•`ʔ
Marissa Sean Cruz’s video installation, “BILLED-A-BEAR ʕ´•ᴥ•`ʔ” considers the implications of networked life, money and power. Comparing cryptoassets to the Beanie Babies market and bear symbolism, Cruz builds an allegory to make sense of interconnected systems embedded in the art-industrial complex.
Presented in partnership with Centre for Art Tapes
“BILLED-A-BEAR ʕ´•ᴥ•`ʔ” is a video installation that satirizes the ever-widening popularity of non-fungible tokens (known as NFTs) and their value in the art market. This work remixes the capitalist jargon, authentication practices and digital branding surrounding NFTs in comparison to the white-hot Beanie Baby resale market. The video looks at bear symbolism in culture and media – a commonly reproduced form seen in toys, television, video games, books and candy. This work critiques originality, progressive and e-commerce platforms contextualized in a time of rapid digital reproduction under capitalism.
