Artforum International

THERE WERE ONLY A HANDFUL OF PEOPLE who have been in New York’s Web artwork scene of the early ’00s. It was a scene of sq. pegs, as everybody had come from completely different fields. There have been dystopian cyberlibertarians, Decrease East Facet efficiency artists, West Coast cowboy hat–sporting BBS hippies, trad modern artists who determined to “drop out,” and, after all, Tom Moody. Tom—who regarded like he stepped proper out of a center administration I.M.B. workplace in 1976—was a polymath. As soon as on a studio go to to his tidy, sunny, and fairly nice New Jersey flat in 2005, we discussed his prints, writing, music, artwork, and DJing. Having come from conventional artwork criticism (writing for Artforum for instance), he was already juggling in his head extraordinarily advanced concepts relating to the brand new varieties made potential by digital instruments and the Web. These concepts would grow to be influential and supply a conceptual construction for a number of of the actions that emerged within the Aughts—particularly the (superb) Surf Membership scene. That’s to not say he was on the sidelines as a critic and theorist. He was really within the combine as an artist, and as a musician as properly. He was one of many first folks to take my very own work critically very early (extra critically than I!), and on the flip aspect, he was additionally one of many first to essentially maintain my toes to the fireplace as my profession progressed (and by no means let up until he handed). As of late, twenty years later, at any time when I see somebody from the outdated scene, I’m instantly full of heat and revel in nothing greater than sitting down for a espresso to reconnect. I’m saddened that I cannot have a chance to try this with Tom.

Cory Arcangel is an artist, composer, and author primarily based in Stavanger, Norway.