An Interview with Exonemo
Formed on the Internet in 1996, artist duo exonemo has been incredibly prolific over the past 24 years. Kensuke Sembo and Yae Akaiwa have together created hundreds of pieces suffused with humor, thoughtfulness, and artistic innovation. Their work has been shown around the globe, and their “The Road Movie” won the Golden Nica for Net Vision category at Prix Ars Electronica 2006. They have also been organizing the IDPW gatherings and the “Internet Yami-Ichi” since 2012.
It also just so happens that Kensuke Sembo is Infinite Objects’ Art Director.
At the launch of Infinite Objects, exonemo re-created one of their most captivating works, “Body Paint”, in the IO form factor. The result was one of our fastest selling editions and continues to be one of the most memorable pieces from our first lineup. Around the time of our launch in October of 2019, we took a few moments to talk with Sembo about adapting exonemo’s work to suit the Objects he helped create.
What has been the experience of working with Infinite Objects as a medium?
Working with Infinite Objects has made me see moving images in a new way. As the Art Director at Infinite Objects, I’ve worked a lot with the team to figure out the best types of moving content you can live with, in your home, while it plays on a 24/7 loop. It’s different than what you’d see on social media or YouTube. We set out to make sure that the content wasn’t just living inside a screen, but breathing into our lives. For the exonemo piece, we decided to convert a previous work, “Body Paint,” to this new platform in order to successfully bring the piece from a gallery into a living space.
What are the ways in which Infinite Objects allows you to expand your work’s impact and reach?
Currently, exonemo has a solo show at NOWHERE gallery in NYC.* Here, we’re able to display the original “Body Paint” and the IO version at the same time. This comparison is quite interesting as it gives people who are fans of the original piece an opportunity to experience it from a different perspective and vice versa.
How do you think this technology will impact the future of digital art?
I think that Infinite Objects will not only impact digital art but will expand the role of moving images in our daily lives. This will go beyond fast-consuming moving image culture like social media. IO has the potential to build a life-long relationship between people and the moving image.
*exonemo’s show at NOWHERE ran from October 25 to December 15, 2019
