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JOHN THREAT, Character Study: Ass is Key, 2025

JOHN THREAT, Character Study: Ass is Key, 2025

Archival Pigment Print

11 x 17 in

Edition of 15 + AP 

Signed and numbered by the artist

Accompanied by a certificate from Always Art

 

Character Study: Ass is Key was created by hacker, artist, and filmmaker John Threat using ASCII symbols, the basic building blocks of early computer graphics. Before digital paint tools or image files were common, hackers and artists used ASCII to form pictures from text characters, a lo-fi method merging code and drawing. Threat, a well-known hacker active during the early years of digital subculture, came of age in an era of cybernetic experimentation where ASCII images often served as “tags,” or marks left by hackers across early cyberspace. The image depicts a female body rendered entirely from ASCII characters. The figure’s T-shirt bears the Zip Drive logo, referencing Iomega’s portable storage system that bridged the floppy-disk era and the age of USB drives. Together, these elements form a mash-up of hacker culture and early internet aesthetics, celebrating anti-design and the raw materiality of code.

BIO: John Threat is a world renowned hacker, futurist, lecturer (Kennedy Center, University of Chicago) global security issues advisor, artist in residence at (MoMA PS1, Denninton Hill), writer/director, professor (CalArts), and former bicycle messenger. He’s been on the cover of Wired Magazine, featured on 60 Minutes, and pops up in everything from The New York Times to Telemundo. He consults with several futurist think tanks and co-founded Rip Space an art/tech/media/hacker project and exhibition space in Los Angeles – the birthplace of the Vibe Code Jam recently produced in collaboration with Rhizome and Anthropic in NYC

€175,00 EUR
€175,00 EUR
Sale Coming soon
+VAT if applicable

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Paper

Archival print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag 308gsm

About the release

Edition of 15.

All editions are made to order and then signed for you by the artist after the sale ends. Therefore please allow delivery to take up to 4 after the end of the sale.

Shipping & Returns

Editions are produced and shipped from Los Angeles, CA.

We produce all prints after the release is over, so please allow delivery to take up to 4 weeks after the sale ends.

Each artwork will be produced and signed specifically for each client and therefore is not eligible for return.

Custom duties are the responsibility of the buyer.

Payment options

We accept payment via American Express, Diners Club, Mastercard, Maestro, Visa, Discover, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Union Pay, Paypal, Shop and Klarna. 

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SYSTEM SUPPORT: A RIP Space Fundraiser

Rip Space is an independent art and technology platform based in Los Angeles dedicated to supporting experimental, cross-disciplinary practices. Founded in 2023 by curator Vera Petukhova with hacker and futurist John Threat and run in collaboration with researcher and theorist Maisa Imamović, Rip Space operates as both a physical and digital node for artists working at the intersection of visual art, new media, sensory design, and critical technology.

Through exhibitions, live events, performances, and workshops, Rip Space creates a space for artists to prototype new forms of experience, emphasizing process, accessibility, and community-driven experimentation outside traditional institutional frameworks.

About the Campaign : SYSTEM SUPPORT marks the next phase of RIP Space’s evolution. The fundraiser and accompanying print collection are part of a campaign to sustain Rip Space’s programming into 2026, supporting artist projects, public programs, and operational costs that keep this independent platform alive in Los Angeles. All proceeds from the edition sales directly support Rip Space’s future programming and infrastructure.

The Print Collection: This limited-edition print collection features works by:  Casey Kauffmann, Maya Man, Wednesday Kim, Kira Xonorika, Erick Antonio Benitez, Sarah Rothberg, Nat Decker, Se Young Au and John Threat.

Each artist contributes a unique perspective on systems, identity, and affect in the digital age, from AI-generated imagery and video stills to speculative environments and sensory abstraction. Together, the prints form a collective portrait of Rip Space’s community: artists exploring how technology mediates feeling, perception, and connection.

Buy art, sustain artist-led spaces.