Art crafted for the algorithm made its IRL debut last Thursday. For their first collaboration, Chanel and Art21 gathered artists and other cultural leaders at the Roxy Cinema to celebrate the new docuseries IRL/url, premiering on TikTok. The festivities were hosted by Tina Kukielski, Art21’s Susan Sollins Executive Director and Chief Curator, and Yana Peel, Chanel’s President of Arts, Culture & Heritage.
The Occasion: The night opened with remarks from Peel, followed by a screening of selected films from IRL/url and a conversation between Kukielski and seven of the eight artists included in the inaugural series: Neïl Beloufa, Jacky Connolly, Julien Creuzet, Sara Cwynar, Xin Liu, Rachel Rossin, and Jacolby Satterwhite.
The Locale: The screening room at the Roxy Cinema, followed by a cocktail reception at the Django, grounding the social-first project in a tactile, social experience.
The Crowd: In the theater’s plush, red rows could be found artists Jamian Juliano-Villani, Puppies Puppies, Josh Kline, Firelei Báez, and Hugh Hayden; advisors Molly Epstein and Sarah Stein-Sapir; curators Taylor Zakarin, Lumi Tan, and Simon Castets; and CULTURED Editor-in-Chief Sarah Harrelson.
Memorable Moment: Peel’s opening remarks set the tone by underscoring Chanel’s creative discourse with artists breaking through the nonstop digital noise, and were followed by Kukielski’s succinct summation of Art21’s partnership with the Maison: “Chanel asked us what our dreams were and then made our dreams come true.”
Cause for FOMO: The chance to witness the first IRL moment for IRL/url, bringing Chanel’s storied cultural ecosystem and Art21’s world-class artist network together under one roof.
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