Trevor Paglen’s first-ever Web3 series, PRELUDES, is one component of a multifaceted project that also includes a new “speculative reality work” in the form of a vinyl LP record and an in-person exhibition on view at Pace Gallery in New York from May 12 to July 22. All these elements explore histories of military and CIA influence operations in the US, centering on themes of “mind control,” PSYOPS, and disinformation.
Paglen—whose rigorous practice spanning photography, sculpture, video, and installation often involves engineering and journalism—is known for his investigations of invisible phenomena and forces, including technological, scientific, socio-political, and historical subjects. He has spent much of his career finding and divulging secrets that are hidden in plain sight, and, with PRELUDES, the artist harnesses the peculiarities of blockchain’s underlying technology to plant secrets within his NFTs.
