Cory Arcangel

Key facts

Born

1978, American

Movements

• Contemporary
• New Media

Works held in

1 museum

• What is Cory Arcangel known for?+

  Cory Arcangel is best known for his playful interventions with classic video games. He often re-programmes old Nintendo cartridges, such as in his work "Super Mario Clouds" (2002), where he removed every element except the moving clouds.
• What is Cory Arcangel's most famous work?+

  Cory Arcangel is best known for his modifications and interventions using existing technology. One of his most recognised works is *Super Mario Clouds* (2002), a modified Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) game. In *Super Mario Clouds*, Arcangel removed all the game's elements except for the scrolling white clouds against a blue background. This intervention transformed a familiar, interactive video game into a minimalist, almost meditative, artwork. The altered game cartridge is presented as both a sculpture and a functioning piece of software art. *Super Mario Clouds* is often cited as an early example of Arcangel's interest in hacking, appropriation, and the re-contextualisation of everyday technologies. The work questions notions of authorship, originality, and the relationship between technology and culture. It also reflects Arcangel's broader practice of using readily available tools and platforms to create accessible and engaging art.
• What should I know about Cory Arcangel's prints?+

  Cory Arcangel is an American artist whose work often involves software, modified computer games, and other digital interventions. When considering his prints, it is useful to understand some broader trends in how digital and video art are sold, maintained, and collected. Certificates of authenticity are essential, and purchase agreements may be requested by the artist or collector. These documents should address key questions: How is the work maintained? Can it be moved, and if so, how? Can obsolete technology be addressed, and how? Instructions for transferring work to a new platform or medium are important, given the pace of technological change. Some galleries offer "collector boxes" with DVDs, a Digital Betacam submaster cassette, a certificate of authenticity, and installation instructions. These provide collectors with an attractive option for displaying the work. The technical complexity and costs of some video works have encouraged museums to begin co-acquiring them.
• What style or movement did Cory Arcangel belong to?+

  Cory Arcangel's work fits into several categories of contemporary art. These include Conceptual Art and New Media. Conceptual Art, which became prominent in the late 1960s, asserts that the core of art lies in the artist's concept, rather than the final product. New Media incorporates technologies like computers and video. Arcangel's practice aligns with these movements through his use of software, data, and digital platforms. His work often involves manipulating existing media or creating software-based interventions. This approach mirrors the Conceptual Art emphasis on ideas and the New Media focus on technology as an artistic medium. His work shares traits with artists who use 'found footage' of text and apply editing constraints and rules.
• What techniques or materials did Cory Arcangel use?+

  Cory Arcangel is an American post-conceptual artist working in a variety of media. He is known for his modifications of existing technologies and appropriation of internet culture. Arcangel frequently uses obsolete computer hardware and software in his work. One common technique involves altering or repurposing video game cartridges and code. For example, "Super Mario Clouds" (2002) is a modified Nintendo Entertainment System game cartridge that displays only white clouds on a blue background, removing the other game elements. Arcangel also creates works using web browsers and HTML. His website hosts many online projects, often involving manipulated images or simple programmed animations. He has produced physical works such as screenprints, sculptures, and installations. These often incorporate elements of digital culture, such as internet memes or computer error messages. Arcangel's practice blends digital and analogue methods, reflecting the impact of technology on contemporary life.
• What was Cory Arcangel known for?+

  Cory Arcangel is associated with a group of artists working in digital collage and what has been called 'post-internet art'. These artists often create works that exist in gallery settings, but which engage with our online experience. Arcangel's practice uses specific techniques of digital collage. This allows comparison between contemporary digital artists, earlier avant-gardes, and other contemporary cultural producers using collage. New media art takes many forms. It can be manifest in virtual or physical experiences, from conceptual experiments to installations using live data. New media artworks use software and datasets to simulate lived experience. The parsing of text, or moving information from one container to another, is something that new media enables. Sometimes this parsing is itself the artwork.
• When did Cory Arcangel live and work?+

  Cory Arcangel is an American artist born in 1978. He is known for his work in software-based art, modifications of existing technologies, and video installations. Arcangel's practice involves interventions using readily available technology. His work often explores the relationship between technology and culture, using humour and a DIY aesthetic. He gained recognition in the early 2000s for his modifications of Nintendo game cartridges, creating altered versions of classic video games. Arcangel has exhibited widely. He has had solo shows at the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, and the Barbican Centre in London. He continues to live and work, producing art that reflects and critiques contemporary digital society.
• Where can I see Cory Arcangel's work?+

  Cory Arcangel's work has been featured in many institutions. These include the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), the Museum of Modern Art (New York), and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). Other American museums that have displayed Arcangel's art include the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (Richmond), and the Wolfsonian at Florida International University (Miami Beach). In the United Kingdom, museums that have featured Arcangel's work include the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, the Geffrye Museum (London), the Manchester Art Gallery, the National Museums of Scotland (Edinburgh), and the Victoria & Albert Museum (London). His art has also been shown at the Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto).
• Where was Cory Arcangel from?+

  Cory Arcangel was born in Fredonia, New York, in 1978. He is an American computer artist, composer, and programmer. Arcangel is known for his modifications of existing technologies; these include video games, software, and hardware. Arcangel studied classical guitar at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. While there, he became interested in computer programming and the creative possibilities of modifying existing code. After graduating in 2000, he moved to New York City. His early work involved altering Nintendo Entertainment System game cartridges to create new visual experiences. One of his well-known pieces is "Super Mario Clouds" (2002), in which he removed all the characters and objects from the Super Mario Bros. game, leaving only the scrolling clouds. Arcangel's work often incorporates elements of internet culture, glitch art, and appropriation. He explores the relationship between technology and culture, often with a humorous or critical perspective.
• Who did Cory Arcangel influence?+

  Cory Arcangel is associated with artists using digital collage techniques. These artists may work in gallery settings, but their art reflects the online experience. Arcangel is grouped with Jennifer Chan, Jon Rafman, Ryan Trecartin, Lizzie Fitch, Hito Steyerl, the DIS collective, Amalia Ulman, Martine Syms, Andrew Norman Wilson, and Helen Marten. This group is sometimes described as 'post-internet art'. However, 'digital collage' is a more specific term, drawing attention to the techniques these artists share. Their approach can be compared to earlier avant-gardes and other contemporary cultural producers using collage. These artists gained prominence in the 2010s, and their work has appeared at biennials. Their digital collage is seen as a Dadaist critique of our digital culture.
• Who influenced Cory Arcangel?+

  Cory Arcangel's influences are diverse, spanning art history and popular culture. Conceptual Art, which emerged in the 1960s, is one significant area. Conceptual artists emphasise ideas and processes over traditional aesthetics; this aligns with Arcangel's focus on manipulating existing systems and technologies. Appropriation, the practice of borrowing or reusing existing images or objects, is another important influence. Artists like Marcel Broodthaers engaged with appropriation, which is a strategy that Arcangel also uses in his work. Arcangel has stated that he learned more from Jeff Wall's photography than from abstract painting. This suggests the importance of photography and image-based art in his development. The artist's approach to digital media also places him in conversation with artists who explore the intersection of art and technology, such as John F. Simon Jr. Simon's work with code and digital interfaces has some resonance with Arcangel's practice.
• Who was Cory Arcangel?+

  Cory Arcangel is an artist born in Olean, New York, in 1978. He spent his childhood near Buffalo, later relocating to San Diego during the mid-1970s. In 1988, he earned a B.A. in both art history and studio arts from the University of California, San Diego, where he studied with Manny Farber. Arcangel has held part-time teaching positions at several institutions including the University of California, Los Angeles; the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles; and Art Center College of Design, Pasadena. He is currently a teacher at the University of California, Irvine. His work has been shown alongside that of Francis Alys, Pierre Huyghe, and Olafur Eliasson.