创意无限 | 揭秘 Theo-Mass Lexileictous 的 postdigitalism 艺术世界

Project Name: Interview With A Postdigitalist

Posted in: Mixed media , Interview

Artist: Theo-Mass Lexileictous

Since 2011, Cypriot media-artist  Theo-Mass  has been methodically infiltrating the art world, utilising what he has identified as our urban culture’s largest powers: money, fashion and the media. In 2012, he took London by storm with a series of ''creative attacks'' which led up to a cover story for  Dazed & Confused  magazine and the beginning of an on-going collaboration.  Since then, he has been all over the world, to and from destinations as far flung as Los Angeles and Vienna, advancing his master-plan for world domination.  And although he has been hailed as the art-world’s first superhero, don’t let yourself be deceived by the glamour and the art:  Theo-Mass is not here to save anyone, but to inspire . We had a talk with him about his work, his methods, as well as his ambitious upcoming plans.

#statueoftheomass / 3d print / nylon. Installation view from the #postdigitalism exhibition / Morfi Gallery , Limassol, Cyprus.

Theo-Mass covers Dazed & Confused magazine / May 2012 issue / Photography: Walter Pfeiffer / Styling: Robbie Spencer.

Installation view from the #postdigitalism exhibition / Morfi Gallery , Limassol, Cyprus.

Animation / the #postdigitalism manifesto / the #postdigitalism exhibition.

Portrait of Theo-Mass / episode 1 ''A superhero is born'' / Photography: Yannis Bournias . Just to get the ball rolling, can you tell me, in a few words, how you came up with the idea of a superhero that goes out into the world to accomplish things?  From early on, I realised that the goals and standards I had set for myself were really high, that achieving these goals was almost like a dream for me – they seemed so difficult that the only way to achieve them was with superpowers.  So on a conceptual level, the reason I became a superhero was to acquire these superpowers and enable myself to achieve those things I’d always wanted to do . That’s how the whole concept began, with the aim of erasing my real self completely and creating a new character in order to begin from zero. And that’s how  Theo-Mass  was born. What superpowers did you use as your project evolved?  Basically, when I sat down to set the ground rules for this project, and combine the idea of a superhero with my own work, I came to the realisation that the superpowers of our world today are fashion, media and money. The first major episode in Theo-Mass’s storyline was titled '' My Power Is Beyond Your Understanding '' which was an exploration of these superpowers: I printed my own money (''Theo-Mass dollars''), I established connections with the fashion world through the costumes I wear, in my masks, my headpieces and my collaborations with designers and artists who work within the fashion industry and so on. Then I started collaborating with the media internationally, while publishing my own newspaper,  Theo-Mass Times . These three elements are the superpowers I deal with and are part of my work.  The success of your project and the huge response that you’ve received from the media do sort of prove that fashion, money and the media are indeed the big superpowers today. Exactly. The project was built to attract exactly this kind of attention, I mean the elements of fashion, money and media, all these things... All that was needed was the right moment for these things to come together and for the whole project to receive the necessary publicity and get rolling.

Theo-Mass Dollars / Side A & Side B.

Portrait of Theo-Mass killing his ego / episode 5 “The Ultimate Acceptance” / Photography: Stelios Kallinikou .

Portrait of Theo-Mass / episode 4 ''The Planetary Alignment'' / Photography: Jon Emmony .

#postdigitalism according to Theo-Mass.

Portrait of Theo-Mass by Eva Ellersdorfer-Meissnerova for the MuseumsQuartier Wien / quartier21. You were recently in Vienna for a month for a residency, working on a new work. Can you tell us more about it? Yeah, I was at the Museums Quartier, for the '' Faceless '' exhibition*. I created a new piece of work which will tour with the exhibition to various countries. My contribution has two elements: one is about #postdigitalism and shows works related to my #POSTDIGITALISM exhibition, and the other is a timeline with unseen material from my appearances, from the preparation of my “creative attacks”… All these ''behind the scenes'' images are part of the exhibition, along with masks, costumes, props and various objects that have been used throughout the project. I wanted to show people the whole process, how I do all this, to show that it’s not just about putting my costume on and going out, that there’s tons of research and preparation behind it. * The Faceless exhibition at Vienna’s Museums Quartier – featuring a new work by Theo-Mass Lexileictous – will be open through November 24th 2013. For more info, have a look at their  website . And what are you up to now? I’m working on the new episode, which will take place in Los Angeles next spring, in mid April, which I feel is the most important thing I’ve ever done. Why is that? Because it has a lot to say… It’s a continuation of #POSTSIGITALISM basically… It’s titled ''#POSTDIGITALISM II #the mutant returns'', and I believe that it’s the most powerful episode yet. It will involve performances, a solo exhibition, a publication; everything is there, and everything’s very solid… Also on a theoretical level I think it’s very well-built. I see an evolution and that’s really important.

Installation view from the #postdigitalism exhibition / Morfi Gallery , Limassol, Cyprus.

#statueoftheomass / 3d scan

#marbletheomass / 3d scan / the #postdigitalism exhibition.

Portrait of Theo-Mass / episode 4 “The Planetary Alignment” / Photography: Stelios Kallinikou .

#theomass / artwork created exclusively on ipad.

Portrait of Theo-Mass / episode 4 ''The Planetary Alignment'' / Photography: Stelios Kallinikou . How do you see a theory of #postdigitalism evolving through this ''Part 2''? I am developing #postdigitalist automatic writing or #promography theory. I define #postdigitalism and set its characteristics in relation to either a piece of text or an artwork. The first sample of #postdigitalist automatic writing comes to life in my upcoming column for SID magazine at the beginning of November. In a few words, #postdigitalism is about creating art resulting from a cross between two diverse realities: that of the physical existence and that of the abstractness of the digital world. I am currently working on the upcoming issue of Theo-Mass Times where I’m putting everything together – it’s going to be an augmented reality publication. After all the research that I’ve conducted, I’ve come to realize that #postdigitalism has a direct link to Surrealism, something that will be clearly explained in the upcoming issue of  Theo-Mass Times . All of my upcoming performances and appearances are based on that concept as well, offering my audience a spectacle, something unexpected, adding the element of surprise to everything I’ll be doing: unexpected juxtapositions, nonsense and non sequitur.  #When #I #cook #fried eggs #in #the #desert #ants #are #melting clocks #in #my #pipe  @theomass / This sentence perfectly describes what #postdigitalism is. So is Theo-Mass going to become a neo-surrealist or a meta-surrealist? Neither, he’s becoming a #postdigitalist! [YatzerTip] :  Theo-Mass is full of surprises – and there’s an avalanche of exciting new work coming up, even though we’re not allowed to tell! Stay up-to-date with his activity through his  facebook  page.

Theo-Mass’ performance / the #postdigitalism exhibition opening / Morfi Gallery, Limassol, Cyprus.

Portrait of Theo-Mass / episode 5 ''The Ultimate Acceptance'' / Photography: Stelios Kallinikou / Headpiece: Rein Vollenga.

Theo-Mass’ performance / the #postdigitalism exhibition opening / Morfi Gallery, Limassol, Cyprus.

#theomass / artwork created exclusively on ipad.

#theomass / artwork created exclusively on ipad.

#theomass / artwork created exclusively on ipad.

Animation / the #postdigitalism exhibition / Theo-Mass in collaboration with Bart Hess .

#theomass / artwork created exclusively on ipad.

The #postdigitalism manifesto