Richard Prince 1234 / Instagram Recordings (2019) is a multi-volume conceptual project by Sébastien Girard that functions as a deliberate act of "meta-appropriation," targeting the digital footprint of American appropriation artist Richard Prince.
In 2015, Richard Prince, infamous for his "New Portraits" series where he appropriated and sold other people's Instagram posts, started his own Instagram account under the handle "@richardprince1234".
Recognizing the ephemeral nature of the platform, Sébastien Girard set up an automated script to silently record and archive every single post Prince made to the account. Two years later, Prince's account was shut down. Girard took his digital archive of 2,664 deleted posts and decided to create an "analog restitution" of what he called a two-year "free concert" played by Richard Prince himself. By systematically archiving and physically publishing the personal feed of the art world's most famous appropriator, Girard created a perfect, critical loop of reappropriation.
The complete archive is divided chronologically into 12 staple-bound softcover volumes, totaling roughly 560 pages. Leaning into the "live concert" metaphor, Girard packaged each volume inside a 12-inch (33 rpm) vinyl record sleeve, complete with a protective transparent outer sleeve and sticker.
Girard used the 2,664 recorded Instagram posts to generate the album artwork. Because of the vast number of images, the covers across the edition are highly randomized and unique.
The project was entirely self-published, printed, and hand-bound by Girard in his studio in a strict limited edition of 150 copies.
Richard Prince 1234 / Instagram Recordings (2019) is a multi-volume conceptual project by Sébastien Girard that functions as a deliberate act of "meta-appropriation," targeting the digital footprint of American appropriation artist Richard Prince.
In 2015, Richard Prince, infamous for his "New Portraits" series where he appropriated and sold other people's Instagram posts, started his own Instagram account under the handle "@richardprince1234".
Recognizing the ephemeral nature of the platform, Sébastien Girard set up an automated script to silently record and archive every single post Prince made to the account. Two years later, Prince's account was shut down. Girard took his digital archive of 2,664 deleted posts and decided to create an "analog restitution" of what he called a two-year "free concert" played by Richard Prince himself. By systematically archiving and physically publishing the personal feed of the art world's most famous appropriator, Girard created a perfect, critical loop of reappropriation.
The complete archive is divided chronologically into 12 staple-bound softcover volumes, totaling roughly 560 pages. Leaning into the "live concert" metaphor, Girard packaged each volume inside a 12-inch (33 rpm) vinyl record sleeve, complete with a protective transparent outer sleeve and sticker.
Girard used the 2,664 recorded Instagram posts to generate the album artwork. Because of the vast number of images, the covers across the edition are highly randomized and unique.
The project was entirely self-published, printed, and hand-bound by Girard in his studio in a strict limited edition of 150 copies.