The Art

At the same time as his latest displays are proof to this shift, Kyle’s cell phone art can also be read as protest against any form of institutionalised art. Rather than creating cell phones only to be looked at, Kyle Sebastién now produces C.P.A. that people are able to walk around with, even use. At first glance, “The Savior”, for instance, may look like an ordinary cellular phone, on a second and closer look, the stainless steel barbed wire circling the top not only becomes a helpful device for a free-hand conversation but also hurls religion right into the 21st century. Quoting its designer: “I always wondered what a conversation with Jesus Christ would be like and I am absolutely certain it would not in the least resemble chitchat on the phone. To me ‘The Savior’ is today’s equivalent of a scream out into the universe, urging God to answer.” Critics have drawn attention to the fact that only the death of the cell phone may be able to free humankind of their pain.

With their preset ringtones of  “bla, bla, bla” the five phones from the Teletubby range are more than a comment on modern-day pop culture: deliberately designed in the famous Teletubby colours they are moreover a part of it, pop culture, that is. “What I tried to do with this was illustrating what I like to term the non-communications process,” Kyle Sebastién says of this work. By decreasing the quality of reception and transmission to almost zero and increasing the annoyance factor to almost infinite, he transposes our society’s inability to communicate into something representational. “It equals the non-communication of non-communication within art,” Kyle Sebastién explains further.

Apart from Barrack Obama and Hilary Clinton, John McCain has shown interest in another particular exhibit. Using the logo of one of the most renowned help organizations, the white cell phone bearing a red cross, entitled “Progress US”, does not need further explanation.

Kyle Sebastién’s latest creations will be displayed on this website. Information on all artefacts will be provided in a short while.