We all know MSCHF, the quirky brand that brought consumers the Big Red Boot along with inevitable “hype”. Well, what if I told you MSCHF is currently is displaying at two renown spaces, a solo show Nothing is Scared has been on display at the Daelim Museum in South Korea since November 10th, 2023 and will close on April 28th, 2024 and Art 2 another solo show on display at Perrotin Los Angeles April 6th – June 1st, 2024.
Two solo exhibitions displayed within institution’s oversaturated with advertisements, generic references, and meme tactics for viewers for consider the question is this art?
Before I delve into the similarities between the shows, I must speak about how MSCHF is known for destroying others art for monetary value. Choosing to not only make a mockery of the artist but also the consumer.
I first came across MSCHF in 2019, when they sold a laptop filled with some of the worlds top 6 malware’s some include ILOVEYOU, WANNACRY, and DARKTEQUILA. These applications are known to have stolen information and billions of dollars from individuals and companies, and the device sold for $1,345,000 and funds went to Chinese internet artist Guo O Dong in collaboration with cybersecurity company Deep Instinct.
MSCHF X GUO O DONG
MSCHF really caught my attention when they chose to purchase Damien Hirst “L-Isoleucine T-Butyl Ester” and evenly cut out each spot into its own (3.5x 3.5 inch) square and offer each for individual sale. I would be a liar if I said I wasn’t intrigued by this process… but as time passed there tactics became redundant.
According to The Vintage News in 2016, MSCHF purchased Andy Warhol’s Fairies for $8,125. In 2021 MSCHF chose to reproduce 999 forged copies along side destroying any providence of the original & authentic Andy Warhol Fairies. Within the sale of reproductions, the single original will also be placed inside the orders for the chance to purchase for $250.
We can argue that MSCHF is promoting accessibility and access to obtaining an original artwork by world renown pop artist Andy Warhol, but we must remember. Each of the reproduced artworks were not authentic prints, as an art consumer I must stress. The reproduction’s are not worth the $250 that consumers spent within this lottery. MSCHF is enabling their users to gamble for the slight glimpse of a chance to obtain the original, an artwork that MSCHF purchased for $8,125 and then sold for $250,000. Making a mockery of the consumer themselves, because if every consumer cared enough to discover if the artwork was authentic they couldn’t reach out to the Andy Warhol Foundation as their website states
“In 2011, the Andy Warhol Art Authentication Board was authorized to cease operations, and no longer exists. The Andy Warhol Foundation does not offer opinions on works of art purported to be by Andy Warhol, nor does it state whether or not a work will be included in the Catalogue Raisonné prior to publication. The Foundation does not offer certificates of authenticity, nor does it offer appraisals, valuations, or recommendations of an appraiser. Further, the Warhol Foundation cannot advise or comment on certification, authentication, or representation by other parties.”
basically your best bet is to sell it on eBay and hope someone believes you. Which people have partaken in as of today offering it a max of $1,199 for an unopened copy and a sale as of yesterday for $500. This sale tactic reminds me of a vinyl figure blind box, yet inside of a blind box is an unopened replica and a very low chance that it is an original nobody would want to authenticate.
I don’t gamble but a 1 out of 999 chance doesn’t sound too bad right? No it sounds horrible, I always stress if you can’t afford the original just keep your money in your pocket. Sure you can buy a fake Rolex.. but at the end of the day it’s worth NOTHING. Yes, I know people say sometimes fake Rolex have real parts and we can say the same thing about this print. It may have the same image the same colors, it could even have the same paper. But it isn’t an original nor an authentic Andy Warhol reproduction, it’s a print you can buy from a street vendor selling prints of the Mona Lisa outside of the Louvre.
Personally, I would rather purchase from the Damien Hirst Spots collection. Sadly, the consumers that MSCHF attracts aren’t interested in art; they are looking to make a quick buck which is okay, many art collectors partake in the same behavior behind closed doors but for some once discovered become blackballed from the gallery, for others they continue to work with established auction houses offering collections of art for sale.
Which makes me wonder, why would two prestigious institutions allow MSCHF to mask themselves as “artist” in attempt for the company to garner attention for their mischievous generic concepts of Pepsi vs. Coke and Sunkist vs. Fanta. Though displaying these artworks MSCHF is trying to convey the message that they are “the same thing” but again they aren’t as patents prove this. Throughout the Art 2 exhibition MSCHF also relates the innovative music group Kraftwerk to Kraft cheese along side stealing plumbing from a sink within the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s public restroom during multiple trips to the museum and “replacing the faucet handles, waterlines and other pieces with identical replacements” as stated on Perrotin’s website.
Art can only exist because of authenticity. Authenticity is a reason art can be appreciated and the work of the artist does not go unseen. Some may say “I am happy with my Aliexpress replica of the Mona Lisa” and that’s fine also, because you aren’t convincing anyone it’s authentic. The uncanny aspect of MSCHF other than the company name being mischief is that they prompt their consumers to partake in their behavior. Some may say, well if they can create replicas of an art work or steal the plumbing from a museum bathroom why can’t I?
The answer is you could, but would it be worth the effort? For MSCHF yes, but if you don’t have a load of gullible consumers probably not.
I’d suggest SKIP the MSCHF exhibitions, I’d prefer to see a bologna sandwich decay in the middle of an empty gallery over the exhibition period rather than advertisements and memes I could see on Instagram.
