*This performance will take place at Rebuild Foundation at the Stony Island Arts Bank, 6760 S. Stony Island Ave, Chicago (map).*

In his Chicago debut, artist and Graham grantee James Hoff will present a new four-channel work using computer viruses to infect beats, where the mutated results become the building blocks for new compositions.

His interest in computer viruses lies in their ability to self-distribute through (and ultimately disrupt) networks of communication, and Hoff’s agency as an artist centers on placing these parasitic forms into pre-existing genres, such as dance music.

“Viruses, like art, need a host. Preferably a popular one,” he writes.

James Hoff is an artist living and working in Brooklyn, NY. His work encompasses painting, sound, writing, performance and publishing, among other media. Taking cues and inspiration from the computer works of Emmett Williams, BP Nichol and Jackson Mac Low; conceptual writers Vito Acconci, Aram Saroyan and Douglas Huebler; and early to late computer viruses (from Pervade to Flame), Hoff works with malware to infect media files as a compositional strategy for painting and music.

Hoff is also a co-founder of Primary Information, a nonprofit arts organization devoted to publishing artists’ books and art historical documents. Primary Information is the recipient of three Graham Foundation grants, most recently in 2015 for “Dan Graham and the Static,” a limited-edition cassette featuring the unique recording of a seminal artwork by Dan Graham that connects architecture, performance, and music.

This performance is presented in partnership with Lampo and Rebuild Foundation. Founded in 1997, Lampo is a non-profit organization for experimental music and intermedia projects. Rebuild Foundation is a nonprofit organization that endeavors to rebuild the cultural foundations of underinvested neighborhoods and incite movements of community revitalization that are culture based, artist led, and neighborhood driven.

Related Talk: On Saturday, December 12, at 2:30pm James Hoff will discuss the history of artists’ books and Primary Information, the organization he co-founded to publish books and writings by artists. He will have a small selection of his artists’ books on hand to share with the audience. This talk will take place at Rebuild Foundation at the Stony Island Arts Bank. For more information, click here.

Related Grants: 2015 Organizational Grant to Primary Information for “Dan Graham and the Static” (2016); 2014 Organizational Grant to Primary Information for “Fantastic Architecture” (2015); and 2013 Organizational Grant to Primary Information for “The Sound Works of Vito Acconci” (2016).

Image: James Hoff, Skywiper No. 3 (detail), 2014. Chromaluxe transfer on aluminum, 30 x 16 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Callicoon Fine Arts, New York.