No Ghost, Just a Shell
No Ghost, Just a Shell is an ongoing collaborative art project between French artists Pierre Huyghe and Philippe Parreno that began in 1999. The project involves the creation and circulation of a fictional character named Annlee, a cute and cartoonish anime character that was purchased by Huyghe and Parreno from a Japanese animation company.
The premise of the project is that Annlee was bought by the artists in order to free her from her predetermined, commercialized existence in the anime industry. The artists then invited various other artists to use Annlee as a character in their own work, giving her a new and constantly evolving identity beyond her original form.
The project has taken many forms over the years, including film, video, installation, and performance. It has been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world, and has involved the participation of over 20 artists.
No Ghost, Just a Shell raises important questions about the nature of identity, creativity, and ownership in the digital age. By freeing Annlee from her original context and allowing her to take on new forms and identities, Huyghe and Parreno challenge the idea that art must be entirely original or entirely owned by a single creator. The project also explores the intersection of art and commerce, as well as the role of technology and media in shaping our perceptions of identity and the world around us.
Many artists have created works using Annlee as a character or starting point in the No Ghost, Just a Shell project. Here are a few examples:
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