Offers In-App Purchases

Exploring Consumerism and Artistic Evolution

Position

"Offers In-App Purchases," a performance piece by Schanhair, explores the collision between digital consumerism and artistic expression. The project is an artistic inquiry into how digital and modular purchasing reshapes our understanding of value and experience, mirroring the broader societal shift toward selective, fragmented engagement with content. In a world increasingly driven by in-app purchases, subscriptions, and digital marketplaces, this piece critically examines how consumerist frameworks alter the way individuals interact with, experience, and ultimately, form their identities.

At its core, Schanhair’s work questions the ephemeral nature of performance art in the digital age and whether art, when commodified, can retain its original essence and authenticity. The performance also acts as a metaphor for the traceability and reproducibility of personal experiences, pushing against the boundaries of traditional art consumption by integrating modularity and selective participation. The tension between the digital replication of experiences and the ungraspable, fleeting nature of personal moments stands as a primary theme.

Product

Offers In-App Purchases consists of both a private performance and a series of painted exhibits, representing the interplay between performance and static art forms. However, the distribution of these paintings is deliberately fragmented. Instead of offering the complete physical artworks for sale, digital replicas are created and sold, while the original physical art pieces remain vaulted.

This decision reflects contemporary consumer behaviors and the modularization of engagement—mirroring how consumers selectively unlock parts of an experience without fully committing to the whole. Schanhair’s innovative approach—through the use of unlockable "modules"—reflects a growing cultural shift towards fragmentary interaction with media and art, where people opt to experience bits and pieces rather than fully engage in a holistic way.

In tandem with the paintings, the final phase of the project introduces a series of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), digital tokens that offer ownership of digitized versions of the artwork. These NFTs not only act as collectibles but also serve as access keys to future artistic events and experiences, continuing the artist’s exploration of selective engagement and evolving ownership models within the digital art ecosystem.

NFTs

Available via mintbase.xyz, the minted objects automatically retain royalties on resales for the artist and are usable as a collectible access key to future events of uncertain timing and nature.

In-App Purchases Exhibit Core Memory

In-App Purchases Exhibit A1
In-App Purchases Exhibit A2
In-App Purchases Exhibit A3
In-App Purchases Exhibit A4
In-App Purchases Exhibit A5
In-App Purchases Exhibit A6

Collectibles hidden on the public performance object

The piece critiques marketing strategies, especially in their approach to modularize customer engagement and the intentional manipulation of market values.

Virtual Completion | Desire Object

Exhibited under the alias Dalien Schanhair, the use of a pseudonym amplifies the satirical critique of digital consumerism, blurring the lines between identity, art, and market-driven personas.

Process

The creation and delivery of Offers In-App Purchases can be broken down into several key technological and artistic processes:

Modular Performance and Painting: Schanhair integrates elements of private performance art with exhibited painting. This dual-format approach speaks to the increasingly blurred lines between static and dynamic art forms. The performance elements are carefully controlled and segmented, allowing selective access to the audience, much like an in-app purchase model, where viewers unlock specific segments of the performance.

Digital Replication and Vaulting: Instead of directly selling the original physical artworks, digital replicas are offered for sale. This approach critiques the market manipulation and modularity in consumer engagement, reflecting the commodification and control often found in digital marketplaces. The original artworks are vaulted, adding a layer of exclusivity and commentary on the inaccessibility of "authentic" experiences in a digital age where replicas proliferate.

NFTs as Unlockable Modules: The project culminates in the release of a series of NFTs—each tied to one of the digital replicas. These NFTs are not only collectibles but are tied to future unlockable content, such as access to additional performances or exclusive artworks. This further reinforces the selective engagement theme, offering buyers access to new experiences based on their investment in the modular components of the artwork.

Performative Collectibles: Throughout the public performance, hidden collectibles are embedded within the performance object, symbolizing the tension between physical, performative art and the desire for ownership in the digital space. Viewers are invited to engage with the artwork interactively, searching for these hidden pieces that serve as both symbolic and tangible extensions of the project’s commentary on consumerism.

Policy

Schanhair's performance raises essential questions about the intersection of art, commerce, and evolving technology. Offers In-App Purchases critiques the intentional market manipulation that drives consumer behaviors in the digital age—particularly the modularization of experiences and the commodification of engagement. As the project demonstrates, current market structures encourage fragmentary participation rather than holistic appreciation, reflecting a broader societal shift toward fleeting, consumable moments rather than sustained engagement.

The work raises ethical questions around the commodification of art, particularly how digital formats and NFTs might strip away the creative essence of traditional art forms. By integrating NFTs as both a means of distribution and access, the project explores whether art can retain its authenticity when digitized and fragmented for consumption.

In doing so, the project engages with larger issues around the ownership of digital art and the evolving nature of intellectual property in the 21st century. What does it mean to own an artwork that is digitally reproduced, fragmented, and distributed through non-physical means? How can artists navigate the balance between creative expression and the commercial pressures of digital marketplaces?

As the project concludes, it leaves open a central question: In a world driven by market forces and selective engagement, can art still evoke the profound, transformative experiences it once did, or is it bound to become another consumable in a sea of fleeting digital commodities?

In summary, Offers In-App Purchases is not just a performance piece but a critical exploration of the modern consumer landscape—one that pushes the boundaries of artistic distribution and examines the nature of engagement in the digital age.

location: Dezernat16, Heidelberg/Germany