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Grimes is selling “a fraction of her soul” as part of Selling Out, a new online exhibition that is showcasing her artwork.
The artist will be selling drawings, prints, photographs and conceptual pieces that’s she made over the past 10 years in the exhibition, which is being hosted simultaneously online over on Gallery Platform Los Angeles (May 28-June 3) and Maccarone Los Angeles (May 28-August 31).
“Selling Out explores the notion of identity potential in the digital age: the ability to create, augment, and manifest ourselves outside of our biological limits,” a statement from Maccarone explains. “[Claire] Boucher does so with WarNymph, a digital avatar executed in collaboration with her brother and artistic partner, Mac Boucher.”
One piece in the exhibition, which is also called Selling Out, is described by Bloomberg News as “a legal document whereby the purchaser acquires a percentage of Grimes’s soul”.
“I didn’t want anyone to buy it, so I said we should just make it $10 million and then it probably won’t sell,” Grimes told the publication in regards to valuing her Selling Out piece. After consulting with her lawyer and drawing up a draft contract for a potential sale, the musician said “the deeper we got with it, the more philosophically interesting it became”.
“Also, I really wanted to collaborate with my lawyer on art. The idea of fantastical art in the form of legal documents just seems very intriguing to me.
“With the current state of the world, do you want to put something up for $10 million?” she added. Bloomberg notes that Grimes has since settled on a “best offer” price to “ultimately leave it up to the public to decide her worth”.
A statement from Maccarone further clarifies Grimes’ intention with the piece (via Pitchfork).
Selling Out, a conceptual artwork that lends its title to the exhibition, is the culmination of Grimes’ holistic art practice. It expands upon the conceit of partitioning and re-administering one’s identity, whose art is their soul. Selling Out is executed as a contract in which Grimes sells a fraction of her soul, formalising the idea that every time an artist sells a piece of their art, part of the soul is sold with it. The purchaser will enter into a contractual agreement that outlines the terms of ownership and ultimately the connection to the joy of artistic expression.
Earlier this week, Grimes clarified that she and Elon Musk changed their baby’s name in order to comply with California law.
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