Tony Cokes receives the MacArthur “genius grant”

The MacArthur Foundation has chosen Tony Cokes as one of the recipients of its “genius grant” for his outstanding contributions to video art. The celebrated visual artist and educator is known for his unique moving image practice, wherein he uses appropriated materials to recontextualize historic and cultural moments.

The focal point of Cokes’ video art hinges on a vibrant text-based visual language which the artist then rearranges to emphasize the underlying political and social issues that are relevant. These frames of text are accompanied by pop music soundtracks, creating unexpected juxtapositions through which he strives to uncover the differing ways in which dominant media narratives buttress the prevailing power structures.

Cokes expressed his surprise upon receiving the MacArthur Foundation grant, which carries a stipend of $800,000 bestowed on the recipient without any conditions. Commonly known as the “genius grant,” the MacArthur Fellowship serves as an investment to encourage its recipients to develop their creative careers unencumbered by monetary concerns. Cokes has expressed a desire to use part of this funding to develop a long-term project documenting the legacy of Factory Records, an independent record label from Manchester, England, which produced albums by the bands Joy Division and New Order.

Tony Cokes is a post-conceptual artist who foregrounds social critique in his work. Many of his recent projects have taken the form of brightly-colored textual animations accompanied by sound. He is a professor in the Department of Modern Media and Culture at Brown University. His works have been exhibited at Haus der Kunst (Munich), Dia Bridgehampton (New York), Centre Georges Pompidou (Paris) and many other institutions. The gallery Greene Naftali represents him on the art market. For more information about Cokes and the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, please visit the Foundation's site.