Rhea Myers

Surgical Strike, 1996

Gloss C-Print on paper

67 x 65.2 cm

Surgical Strike returned the repressed military and corporate history that the smooth surfaces of computer graphics excluded at the time. It replaced geometric primitives with stealth warplanes and their material textures with corporate logos. It placed the resulting 3D renderings over backgrounds of texts of awkward facts from the history of computing. And it placed them behind an overlay of the programme code that generated the renderings, written in a bespoke programming language based on military jargon. These are deliberately unstable images on several levels. The clash and unification of their aesthetics and references as the viewer work to reconcile them draws in materials from outside the edge of the screen to make them part of their critique.

ABOUT Rhea Myers

Rhea Myers is an artist, hacker, and writer. She skillfully intertwines technology and culture, prompting them to question and interact with each other. The driving force behind Myers' artistic endeavors is her desire to comprehend the changing world that surrounds her. Since 2014, her focus has been on producing art centered around the concept of the blockchain. As a medium, the blockchain serves both as a reflection of and an alternative to the societal landscape following the financial crisis of 2008. Myers views the blockchain as a subject that resonates uniquely, embodying the centuries-old cryptographic imagery deeply rooted in Western political thought. Myers' exploration of the blockchain as a subject for artmaking began with the creation of raw transactions, simulating intangible forms. Over time, her artistic journey led her to delve into crafting smart contracts and subsequently ERC-721 tokens. These ERC-721 tokens, in particular, create forms of property and control infused with a sense of irony. Throughout this artistic evolution, Myers' focus shifted increasingly towards the emotions tied to ownership anxiety that the concept of blockchain property evokes.

From the UK and currently residing in British Columbia, Canada, Myers has exhibited internationally at venues including: ArtScience Museum, Singapore; Kunsthalle, Zürich; Sotheby’s, London; Chronus Art Centre, Shanghai; CADAF, New York; Jerwood Visual Arts, London.

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Surgical Strike
Surgical Strike
Surgical Strike
Surgical Strike
Surgical Strike