The Old Testament
by Tommy Hartung
The Old Testament is a feature length video (1 hour 39 seconds) comprised of 25 unique chapters, priced between $1500 (0.82Ξ) to $ 5000 (2.73Ξ) each.
The Old Testament by Tommy Hartung is a feature length video comprised of 25 chapters that form a narrative about humanity, surveillance, and belief systems. It is an extension of THE BIBLE, his critically-acclaimed and sold-out 2014 video now in museum and private collections, including the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Hammer Museum at UCLA. Intended for collective ownership,The Old Testament weaves unique chapters that can be reassembled on the blockchain to play the video in its entirety.
Chapters
Adam and the Void
3000$
#1 Adam and the Void
The Old Testament
Tommy HartungDuration: 4:08
Marketplace
In this chapter, David Bohm, one of the most significant theoretical physicists of the 20th century, appears as a hand-drawn animated character who discusses his philosophies on thinking and feeling. The Old Testament is the extended version of Hartung's critically acclaimed 2014 video THE BIBLE. Intended for a community of owners on the blockchain, each chapter is part of a narrative that can be interwoven with the others. It is also its own discrete work of digital art.
Noah
3000$
#2 Noah
The Old Testament
Tommy HartungDuration: 4:06
Marketplace
A visually electrifying feat of stop-action video work cut with archival footage, this chapter features audio of Osama Bin Laden reciting his praise for the attacks of 9/11 while the camera pans over life in a slum. The Old Testament is the extended version of Hartung's critically acclaimed 2014 video THE BIBLE. Intended for a community of owners on the blockchain, each chapter is part of a narrative that can be interwoven with the others. It is also its own discrete work of digital art.
Daniel
1500$
#3 Daniel
The Old Testament
Tommy HartungDuration: 1:55
Marketplace
A frenetic and haunting assemblage of Hartung's own stop-action work with video game footage, this chapter culminates in the fall of a figure from a luxury jet, closing with the image of a floating white lily. The Old Testament is the extended version of Hartung's critically acclaimed 2014 video THE BIBLE. Intended for a community of owners on the blockchain, each chapter is part of a narrative that can be interwoven with the others. It is also its own discrete work of digital art.
David
2000$
#4 David
The Old Testament
Tommy HartungDuration: 3:17
Marketplace
A visually sumptuous vignette, this chapter features a choral version of the Lord's prayer heard over stop-action footage of a a slum, cutting to a little boy who learns to tie his shoe. The Old Testament is the extended version of Hartung's critically acclaimed 2014 video THE BIBLE. Intended for a community of owners on the blockchain, each chapter is part of a narrative that can be interwoven with the others. It is also its own discrete work of digital art.
Lot
2000$
#5 Lot
The Old Testament
Tommy HartungDuration: 2:28
Marketplace
A news story of two gay men in Soweto is described in a robotic voiceover about their tragic punishments. The story is hauntingly reenacted in Hartung\'s stop-action style. The Old Testament is based on his 2014 video THE BIBLE, which has been lauded by Artforum as "an astonishing masterpiece," and is held in the Whitney Museum and Hammer Museum collections. This new project, an extended director\'s cut produced in collaboration with Snark.art, has been divided into chapters for collective ownership.
Cain and Abel
2000$
#6 Cain and Abel
The Old Testament
Tommy HartungDuration: 2:40
Marketplace
Opening to the sound of a helicopter ahead, two brothers in a run down airplane hangar cling to one another. This chapter speaks to the terror of war, showing archival footage of a family taking shelter in a trench as Hartung's meticulously constructed tank turns towards the viewer. The Old Testament is the extended version of Hartung's critically acclaimed 2014 video THE BIBLE. Intended for a community of owners on the blockchain, each chapter is part of a narrative that can be interwoven with the others. It is also its own discrete work of digital art.
Abraham
3000$
#7 Abraham
The Old Testament
Tommy HartungDuration: 4:26
Marketplace
Taking inspiration from Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling, the Danish theologian's retelling of Abraham's anguish in sacrificing his son, Isaac, Hartung recreates the emotional complexity of this story through life-size puppets and multilayered imagery. The Old Testament is the extended version of Hartung's critically acclaimed 2014 video THE BIBLE. Intended for a community of owners on the blockchain, each chapter is part of a narrative that can be interwoven with the others. It is also its own discrete work of digital art.
Joseph son of Jacob
4000$
#8 Joseph son of Jacob
The Old Testament
Tommy HartungDuration: 2:14
Marketplace
This first of two chapters dedicated to Chelsea Manning's court statement during her sentencing. The camera pans over an iridescent jungle, as Manning's military photograph, glowing or radioactive, glimmers through the dark. The Old Testament is the extended version of Hartung's critically acclaimed 2014 video THE BIBLE. Intended for a community of owners on the blockchain, each chapter is part of a narrative that can be interwoven with the others. It is also its own discrete work of digital art.
Joseph son of Rachel
4000$
#9 Joseph son of Rachel
The Old Testament
Tommy HartungDuration: 2:30
Marketplace
This second chapter of Chelsea Manning's court statement deepens in symbolism and historical significance. A tropical bird combs its feathers next to a waterfall apparently frozen in the jungle heat. Lasers hone in on a cut-out of Manning, camouflaged amongst the surrounding foliage. The Old Testament is the extended version of Hartung's critically acclaimed 2014 video THE BIBLE. Intended for a community of owners on the blockchain, each chapter is part of a narrative that can be interwoven with the others. It is also its own discrete work of digital art.
Jacob
2500$
#10 Jacob
The Old Testament
Tommy HartungDuration: 4:49
Marketplace
In this chapter, the camera captures the physical entanglement of Jacob as he wrestles with the roots of a tree, then builds a haphazard ladder. A stop-action animation of paper figures follows. The Old Testament is the extended version of Hartung's critically acclaimed 2014 video THE BIBLE. Intended for a community of owners on the blockchain, each chapter is part of a narrative that can be interwoven with the others. It is also its own discrete work of digital art.
Song of Songs
4000$
#11 Song of Songs
The Old Testament
Tommy HartungDuration: 3:31
Marketplace
Using cut-outs of female figures from fashion magazines, we watch them transform into a giant female warrior through song, dance and trance. The Old Testament is the extended version of Hartung's critically acclaimed 2014 video THE BIBLE. Intended for a community of owners on the blockchain, each chapter is part of a narrative that can be interwoven with the others. It is also its own discrete work of digital art.
Enoch
1500$
#12 Enoch
The Old Testament
Tommy HartungDuration: 0:57
Marketplace
Enoch, the fabled scribe of judgement is represented as a trashy cut-out animation featuring figures from the 2014 New York Times Lawyers of the Year issue. Accompanied by the National Anthem of the Soviet Union. Hartung\'s The Old Testament is based on his 2014 video THE BIBLE, lauded by Artforum as "an astonishing masterpiece," and held in the Whitney Museum and Hammer Museum collections. This extended director\'s cut has been divided into chapters for collective ownership.
Jeremiah
4000$
#13 Jeremiah
The Old Testament
Tommy HartungDuration: 5:08
Marketplace
A weeping prophet sings in tongues, which Hartung interprets through animated text telling the story of John Constantino, who self-immolated in 2013 in sight of the Capitol building. The Old Testament is the extended version of Hartung's critically acclaimed 2014 video THE BIBLE. Intended for a community of owners on the blockchain, each chapter is part of a narrative that can be interwoven with the others. It is also its own discrete work of digital art.
Ham
2000$
#14 Ham
The Old Testament
Tommy HartungDuration: 2:05
Marketplace
This chapter speaks to 'The Curse of Ham' through intricate stop-action footage of puppets and mixed media, interpersed with found footage. The Old Testament is the extended version of Hartung's critically acclaimed 2014 video THE BIBLE. Intended for a community of owners on the blockchain, each chapter is part of a narrative that can be interwoven with the others. It is also its own discrete work of digital art.
Kings
2000$
#15 Kings
The Old Testament
Tommy HartungDuration: 1:58
Marketplace
On the eve of the last Israeli election, Bibi (Benjamin Netanyahu) released a lo-fi video encouraging his supporters to go to the polls and vote because “the Arabs are coming out in droves”. Set to an acapella cover of an Imagine Dragons song, Bibi claps along as dreams of rebuilding The Temple are displayed. The Old Testament is a video artwork based on Tommy Hartung\'s critically acclaimed 2014 piece THE BIBLE, in the collections of the Whitney Museum and Hammer Museum. In this project, the video is divided into "chapters" for collective ownership.
Exilarch I
2000$
#16 Exilarch I
The Old Testament
Tommy HartungDuration: 2:31
Marketplace
Using digital rotoscoping, this chapter features a Muslim cleric discussing his close encounter with supernatural creatures, the Jinn, which sound suspiciously similar to alien abduction. The Old Testament is the extended version of Hartung's critically acclaimed 2014 video THE BIBLE. Intended for a community of owners on the blockchain, each chapter is part of a narrative that can be interwoven with the others. It is also its own discrete work of digital art.
Exilarch II
3000$
#17 Exilarch II
The Old Testament
Tommy HartungDuration: 1:15
Marketplace
The Evil Eye – a mystical apparition common in both Muslim and Jewish culture – is described through the analogy of the camera. The Old Testament is a video artwork based on Tommy Hartung\'s critically acclaimed 2014 piece THE BIBLE, in the collections of the Whitney Museum and Hammer Museum. In this project, the video is divided into "chapters" for collective ownership.
Exilarch III
3000$
#18 Exilarch III
The Old Testament
Tommy HartungDuration: 1:33
Marketplace
A Muslim cleric describes Jinn, Arabic for "genie", as existing everywhere, and draws comparisons between these beings from Middle Eastern cultural mythology and migrants fleeing to Europe. The Old Testament is a video artwork based on Tommy Hartung\'s critically acclaimed 2014 piece THE BIBLE, in the collections of the Whitney Museum and Hammer Museum. In this project, the video is divided into "chapters" for collective ownership.
Exilarch IV
3000$
#19 Exilarch IV
The Old Testament
Tommy HartungDuration: 3:29
Marketplace
A Rabbi reads from religious texts justifying gender and class separation, while rotoscoped footage of a Saharan village illustrates the gaze of the evil eye. The Old Testament is a video artwork based on Tommy Hartung\'s critically acclaimed 2014 piece THE BIBLE, in the collections of the Whitney Museum and Hammer Museum. In this project, the video is divided into "chapters" for collective ownership.
Exilarch V
3000$
#20 Exilarch V
The Old Testament
Tommy HartungDuration: 1:07
Marketplace
Painterly rotoscoped found footage of migrants in the Sahara is narrated by a Rabbi, who compares angels to robots. The Old Testament is a video artwork based on Tommy Hartung\'s critically acclaimed 2014 piece THE BIBLE, in the collections of the Whitney Museum and Hammer Museum. In this project, the video is divided into "chapters" for collective ownership.
Exodus
3000$
#21 Exodus
The Old Testament
Tommy HartungDuration: 6:17
Marketplace
A hallucinatory montage unfolds with a reading from the Quran. The Old Testament is a video artwork based on Tommy Hartung\'s critically acclaimed 2014 piece THE BIBLE, in the collections of the Whitney Museum and Hammer Museum. In this project, the video is divided into "chapters" for collective ownership.
Genesis
5000$
#22 Genesis
The Old Testament
Tommy HartungDuration: 26:28
Marketplace
Uncut footage gives a closer look at renowned philosopher and physicist David Bohm\'s thoughts on thinking and feeling. The Old Testament is a video artwork based on Tommy Hartung\'s critically acclaimed 2014 piece THE BIBLE, in the collections of the Whitney Museum and Hammer Museum. In this project, the video is divided into "chapters" for collective ownership.
Esther
1500$
#23 Esther
The Old Testament
Tommy HartungDuration: 0:20
Marketplace
A commercial advertises a smartphone game in which a Lady Gaga avatar poops Jeff Koons sculptures. The Old Testament is a video artwork based on Tommy Hartung\'s critically acclaimed 2014 piece THE BIBLE, in the collections of the Whitney Museum and Hammer Museum. In this project, the video is divided into "chapters" for collective ownership.
Want
1500$
#24 Want
The Old Testament
Tommy HartungDuration: 0:33
Marketplace
Cut-out animations of cartoon word bubbles quickly overlap and interrupt one another, fighting to say "I am only Happy when I get What I Want". The bubbles visually illustrate the Ayn Randian philsophy that man\'s moral purpose in life is his own happiness. The Old Testament is a video artwork based on Tommy Hartung\'s critically acclaimed 2014 piece THE BIBLE, in the collections of the Whitney Museum and Hammer Museum. In this project, the video is divided into "chapters" for collective ownership.
Rachel
1500$
#25 Rachel
The Old Testament
Tommy HartungDuration: 1:37
Marketplace
David Bohm\'s voice narrates a mother and child – taking the form of dolls – in a distorted underwater scene. The Old Testament is a video artwork based on Tommy Hartung\'s critically acclaimed 2014 piece THE BIBLE, in the collections of the Whitney Museum and Hammer Museum. In this project, the video is divided into "chapters" for collective ownership.
Tommy Hartung
Employing photography, sculpture and video, Hartung's work addresses topics such as the Bible and the history of colonialism—with a surrealist DIY aesthetic, through stream of consciousness storytelling. The imagery he creates mirrors a globalized world steeped in obsession, violence and sympathetic magic. His use of multiple media, addresses the themes of modernism, and forms hybrids of classical characters and nuanced allegory.
Tommy Hartung has exhibited at Museums throughout the United States, including most recently The Whitney Museum’s Whitney Biennial 2017; The Rose Museum, Waltham MA; The Jewish Museum, New York, NY; and MoMA PS1, Queens, New York. His work is in the collection of: The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, NY; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA; Rose Art Museum, Waltham, MA; Dimitris Daskalopoulos Collection, Athens, Greece.
Hartung was the recipient of the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Biennial Award in 2015, and the Painters and Sculptors Grant from the Joan Mitchell Foundation in 2011. He is represented by C24 Gallery in New York City. Born in Akron, Ohio in 1979, Tommy Hartung received his MFA from Columbia University.
Tommy Hartung
Employing photography, sculpture and video, Hartung's work addresses topics such as the Bible and the history of colonialism—with a surrealist DIY aesthetic, through stream of consciousness storytelling. The imagery he creates mirrors a globalized world steeped in obsession, violence and sympathetic magic. His use of multiple media, addresses the themes of modernism, and forms hybrids of classical characters and nuanced allegory.
Tommy Hartung has exhibited at Museums throughout the United States, including most recently The Whitney Museum’s Whitney Biennial 2017; The Rose Museum, Waltham MA; The Jewish Museum, New York, NY; and MoMA PS1, Queens, New York. His work is in the collection of: The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, NY; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA; Rose Art Museum, Waltham, MA; Dimitris Daskalopoulos Collection, Athens, Greece.
Hartung was the recipient of the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Biennial Award in 2015, and the Painters and Sculptors Grant from the Joan Mitchell Foundation in 2011. He is represented by C24 Gallery in New York City. Born in Akron, Ohio in 1979, Tommy Hartung received his MFA from Columbia University.
«There’s a heartening amplitude of spiritual imagination and pragmatic invention in what Mr. Hartung has wrought.»
«Hartung tackles the Bible as open-ended and multi-authored, porous and visionary. It is our approach and our subjective responses to the Bible that interest Hartung, rather than its specific narratives.»
«An astonishing masterpiece.»