Since July 29, a framed screenshot from the anonymous chat board 4chan has been skyrocketed past its original price tag of $500. Currently at nearly $80,000 on eBay, and reading, "Art used to be something to cherish/Now literally anything could be art/This post is art," the self-aware statement also known as post "No. 33181590," has amassed 37 bids, and now sits at a price high enough to purchase a working hoverbike. With 12 hours remaining on the bidding clock, the screenshot could likely hit the six-figure stratosphere— but then again, that's more than enough time for every bidder to withdraw from the auction and prove this little more than an elaborate 'net hoax.
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Though the price for the singlescreenshot may seem excessive, similar 'objects' have been bought and sold for similar prices: the Museum of Non-Visible Art— a collaboration between Praxis and James Franco— offered certificates for intangible objects, probing many of the same critical assumptions as the screenshot's text. Given 4chan's reputation for Internet trollery, is this an example of life imitating art, or vice versa? And, perhaps most importantly, is it art? Only one thing is certain: with "No refunds accepted," it will be up to the highest bidder to decide.
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