Jo Shane

Disclaimer​ is a new project conceived by the New York-based artist Jo Shane. Part immersive art and part performative installation, Disclaimer​ questions the basis of the ever-present algorithm that assesses what we buy, who we know, and who we are.

Over her 40 year career, Shane has been investigating both popular culture and social constructs in her sculpturally-based work. Often, Shane examines dystopian elements of the world around us by recontextualizing highly personal material with found or commercial objects. Recently, Shane has focused on exploring ways to go beyond institutionalized space in order to invite active engagement and open new conversations. In ​Disclaimer​ She will interweave a gallery exhibition with the preexisting merchandise culture of Canal Street. For the duration of the project Shane will be referred to as Designer / Artist / Merchant, principle of JS.Enterprises. All artworks will take the form of for sale objects, or “units”.

Each unit in​ Disclaimer​ captures the interface of two social media accounts, presented in the form of a screenshot as found when spinning quickly between Instagram stories. Over a period of several months Shane took on the position of professional voyeur, patiently observing her feed for pairings that she found visually or contextually compelling. The “lineup” consists of a cross section of celebrities, social media “influencers” and downtown creatives followed by Shane, as well as unwelcome advertising. Tracing both obscure and obvious threads, the pairings are at times resonant, linking up friends and family, while other are dissonant, contrasting lifestyle or subject. Through these juxtapositions, Shane reveals the perceptual changes that occur when our material is viewed in context, and moreover, our lack of control within this liminal digital space.

In ​Disclaimer​ Instagram’s story algorithm assumed the position of an unseen actor, dictating the palate from which Shane was able to extract her content. While the algorithm is marketed as being responsive to user behavior, the exact mechanics at play remain obscure. This randomness and lack of control make up an essential element of the project. ‘Disclaimer’ refers to the lack of responsibility Shane will take for displaying unhindered images from the public domain. She asserts once a story is posted it becomes property of the algorithm.

The installation of ​Disclaimer​ will pay homage to the bag stores that have occupied Canal frontage for years. Each screenshot will be mounted to plexiglas and installed on mobile phone car mounts, thus presenting the image within the same commercial vocabulary. Measuring 11 x 5 inches, the units make additional reference to the concept of an oversize cellphone. 48 units will be available in an addition of 5, for a barter ready price of $250 in the tradition of Canal Street merchandising. The price point furthers the project’s accessible and interactive format.

A full conceptual entity of its own, ​Disclaimer​ will exist in a bubble of fluid definition, a trope often present in today’s culture.

Jo Shane, a long practicing artist in New York since attending the Whitney Museum ISP Program, investigates themes of desire, consumption and human nature through a viscerally personal lens. Shane has shown her sculpturally-based work nationally and internationally, including a recent solo exhibition at 11 W 30th Projects, and group exhibitions at Milk Gallery and BHQFU in New York. Previously, she has been featured at Franklin Parrasch Gallery, White Columns, Artist’s Space and ICI in New York, The Pera Museum in Istanbul and The Centro de Arte de Sevilla in Sevilla, Spain.

Presented by Wallplay On Canal