Best Link Ever! Parker Koo Ito’s Artist Statement

POST BY KAREN ARCHEY

Parker Koo Ito, Artist Statement, 2009; screengrab AFC

“You want fame?” a yappy looking dog asks. A doe-eyed baby responds, “It’s yours for the taking.” I don’t know what kind of fucked up art world-meets-the Matrix-meets-H.R. Pufnstuf kind of universe Parker Koo Ito‘s Artist Statement, (2009) exists in, but I certainly like it. Ito’s site features a gaggle of weird characters–some fictional, some historical–who all offer sage advice to their viewer. Statements uttered are fairly contentious and pertain to varying aspects of art making and the Internet.  “C++ has replaced the brush,” “The hand is dead,” and “Why look at Gustav Courbet [robotically pronounced Cor-bit] when you can look at free porn?” provide just a few examples. Ito’s Artist Statement (2009) comically addresses antiquated ideas about artistic practice and the Internet without dipping too deeply into the realm of the absurd.

Best Link Ever is a weekly column posted on Fridays culling the best gems of the Internet, maintained by AFC Associate Editor Karen Archey.