The digitalisation of museums is a global process that is changing our perception of these institutions. Museums, which used to guarantee that their exhibits could be appreciated in isolation, have now become accessible online 24/7. In Byproducts/Matters Julian Irlinger works with the images that are produced via this process. Taking advantage of virtual museum tours, he uses screenshots to record snippets of the interior spaces, showing zoomed-in details of high-resolution art reproductions. The incidental becomes the image motif. The pictures display pixelated works of art, cleaning utensils that have been set aside, or the reflections of studio lights on the painting’s varnish. The artist’s books Byproducts/Matters are published as a double volume, creating their own spaces for the contexts and narratives associated with viewing art today. The publication is funded by the Kunstfonds Bonn.

Text:
Tess Edmonson, Clemens Jahn

Book design by Katharina Köhler.