Excerpt from the Catalogue of the Rumpelton Digital Canon
by Dr. Ursula B. Hanford, Associate Curator of Post-Digital Irony, Leeds Institute of Unapplied Arts
Ralph Rumpelton is often quoted—sometimes apocryphally—as saying, “I wouldn’t post in any sub that would have me.”
At first glance, this quip appears to be a lighthearted twist on Groucho Marx. Yet within the Rumpeltonian framework, it resonates as a profound statement on the condition of art in the algorithmic age. By refusing the validation of communities that welcome him, Rumpelton dramatizes the paradox of belonging in digital culture: to be embraced is to be diluted, and to be excluded is to remain pure.
In this way, the artist positions himself as both insider and outsider, simultaneously central to the platforms he inhabits and estranged from their acceptance. This dialectic—post and exile, recognition and refusal—forms the backbone of his Paint Fidelity and Search Engine Invasion projects. Each image is not only a cover or a copy, but also a staged disappearance, a sly negotiation with the very audiences who stumble upon him.
Ultimately, Rumpelton’s Marxian paraphrase is less a joke than a manifesto: art that is too easily absorbed loses its sting, and the true artist remains in flight from the very institutions that celebrate him.
Follow Rumpelton across the multiverse:
Facebook From The Mind Of Me Ralph Rumpelton – “Painting What the Earth Can’t Comprehend” RalphRumpelton User Profile | DeviantArt The Rumpelton Continuity (aka Zapple100's Grumblings) Instagram Ralph Rumpelton | Substack
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