On the Unwellness of Wellbeing
Jake Chapman
2025
I want to begin a new kind of art—no longer predisposed to the average appetite, no longer predisposed to the mediocrity of consensus, no longer desperate for en-masse solicitude, an art that is no longer bound by intelligence or discourse, or the arrogance of the obstinately informed, the corrupt and the entitled—to the prejudice of the well-intentioned elite—but a poetics that seeks out the freshness of the new-born—not the mollycoddled underling, but the shrieking, seething bundle of desires that has no given objective in the world, other than to emit only an unrelenting ‘yes’, the bloodcurdling shriek of the originary big bang, a cosmic Me! ME! ME! ME! MEEEEEEEEEEEE!– I demand a new sacred neoliberalithic art to usher in the world-without-us.
My mind is a sanctuary of peace and positivity. My thoughts are mostly vivid and clear, mostly calm, almost always serene—but sometimes my mental meandering requires that I find my way back to reposefulness by more psychically injurious, mean and needlessly circuitous routes. And when I stray from the path of mindful intention, my mindfulness affirmations take a decidedly negative turn, and I am possessed by a monosyllabic vocoid murmur, a negativized, inverse meditation, the sucking, gurgling, droning tones of coenobitic throat singing—I harken to the interconnectedness of all living and non-living systems alike, to the deep interdependence between human consciousness and the indifferent environment. I yell at the top of my wellness voice against the evil that taints me, I am the necrotic vector of late capital’s autoimmune collapse, the corpse of liberalism reanimated as a shambling, hollowed-out, all singing, all dancing, metabolized zombie host—with Capitalism utterly devoured, a parasitised vampiric symbiosis of entropic consumption, extractive production and sumptuous expenditure… of execration and death… Namaste.
Critiques for Cash
krack karen
A colorful, hand-painted wooden puppet with red, blue, green, and yellow patches, featuring a face with a large smile made of sunflower seeds, red textured hair made of thin fibers, and a painted body. In the background, there is a red banner with the word 'EXTINCTION' and a black and yellow logo.
Close-up of a colorful, artistic sculpture featuring metal and wooden elements, with beads, painted surfaces, and textured materials.
A digitally edited image of a naive painting style depicting a young boy with hands pressed together in a prayer position, standing in front of a scene resembling a recent tragic event involving multiple children lying on the ground with fallen adult figures around them, set against a fiery, sunset-like background.
Black square with white text saying 'Extinction' at the top and 'Annihilation' at the bottom, with a stylized face with two black eyes and a black curved line as a mouth.
A Venn diagram with seven overlapping black circles with white borders, each labeled with the word 'death'. The circles overlap in the center, creating multiple sections labeled with 'death'.
A carved wooden skull filled with seashells to resemble the skull's eyes and mouth.
A wooden sculpture of a person with a simple face carved into the wood, sitting on a tree stump inside a woodworking workshop.
A colorful, abstract drawing of a girl with long hair and dress surrounded by various cartoonish and whimsical faces, shapes, and patterns, with the mathematical equation 2+2=5 in the center, and signatures at the bottom.
Prince Harry thematic magazine cover with layered glitter teddy bears in red, green, blue, and gold, and the words "PRINCE HARRY" at the top and "SPARE" at the bottom.
Close-up of a black-and-white model scene with a small boy figure standing on ground, with the words 'Take a break' written in large letters over the scene.
Black and white photo of a small toy soldier figurine standing outdoors on a textured surface, with blurred trees and other figures in the background. Painted black letters overlay the image, spelling out "TAKE."
Black paintbrush strokes spell out "Joke" over a black and white photograph of a young girl standing outdoors in a park or yard with trees and other children in the background.
Art installation with two colorful face masks on sculptures, and two banners with black and red backgrounds displaying words "Extinction" and "Annihilation" along with smiley face symbols.
An art installation featuring a figure covered with long, straw-like materials and colorful objects protruding from the top, displayed in an art gallery with framed artworks on the walls.
A costume with a long, shaggy, reddish-brown fiber wig adorned with colorful spoons, paintbrushes, and shells.
An art installation featuring a sculpture of a figure with long blonde hair and a pink dress, sitting on a wooden platform with a red vessel and a stick. Behind the sculpture is a black fabric banner with a white face symbol and the words 'Extinction' and 'Illumination' printed on it, displayed upside down.
Large black abstract sculpture resembling a dragon or sea serpent in a landscaped park with trees, modern apartment buildings, and a sunset sky in the background.
Outdoor sculpture resembling a dinosaur made of large, dark metal pieces with a long neck and head, surrounded by trees and a gravel ground.
Abstract metal sculpture resembling a dog with pointed ears, made of large rust-colored metal panels, positioned on a gravel surface outdoors with modern building and power lines in the background.
Outdoor park with large rust-colored metal sculptures, including a tall dinosaur and abstract shapes, surrounded by green grass and small trees, under a partly cloudy sky.
A carved wooden figure with a face, mounted on a cut tree trunk, standing among dry grass and plants in a wooded area.
Black and white photo of two animal sculptures made from tree trunks and branches, set in a wooded area with tall grass and trees.
Black and white photograph of children playing outdoors, with large black painted characters overlaying the image.
A black and white photograph with painted black letters spelling 'TOC' in front of a toy soldier figure, a large tree in the background, and other toy soldiers scattered on the ground.
A watercolor painting depicting a rustic wooden chair with colorful candles on it, set against a plain background.
Watercolor painting of a giant spider with leaf wings and a bulbous body, holding three human figures in its legs, with a small house emitting black smoke in the background and a blue sky.
Watercolor painting of a dragonfly with blue and white wings and a reddish body on a neutral background, signed by the artist in the lower left corner.
A collage featuring two shirtless individuals, one male and one female, with a large black butterfly in the center, with googly eyes attached to it. The male has dark, short hair and the female has longer, curly hair. The words "Daddy" and "Mummy" are written on the left and right sides, respectively.
A modified 50-pound banknote from the Bank of England shows a man with a long finger touching his nose.
A novelty 50-pound banknote featuring a painted portrait of a woman with blonde, curly hair, smiling, on the right side. The banknote includes the traditional elements of a British 50-pound note, such as the Bank of England text, a shield with the UK coat of arms, and various security features. The woman's portrait appears to be an artistic, painted style.
A fifty-pound banknote from England featuring a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, various security features, and intricate designs.
A modified 50-pound banknote with a drawn illustration of a face with a nose and mouth coming out of the person's eye and a hand emerging from the mouth, with the person’s face on the right side of the note.
An edited fifty-pound banknote featuring artwork and illustrations, including a deranged clown face with white eyes and a distorted expression, overlaid on traditional banknote design elements like the royal portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, the Bank of England emblem, and security features.
A 50-pound British banknote has been painted with an illustration of a human face with a large nose, fangs, and an open mouth, along with drawings of a hand and a face in a graphic style.
A fifty-pound banknote from the Bank of England featuring a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on the right side, various symbols, buildings, and text including the denomination and the signature of Sarah John, Chief Cashier. The note is predominantly red and green with intricate designs and security features.
Artwork combining a 50-pound British banknote with a painted carved face emerging from a nut. The banknote features a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and the number 50, with painted and digital art elements overlaying the note.
A 50-pound banknote with a painted portrait of a smiling man and a dog giving a thumbs up. The banknote features various security elements, the Royal Coat of Arms, and British symbols.
A modified fifty-pound British banknote featuring a painted portrait of a man with a pacifier in his mouth in place of the original image, alongside traditional banknote elements.
Wall with rainbow colors background displaying framed black and white abstract sketches and drawings, some tilted or scattered.
Decorative sculpture resembling a face made of a large, brown, textured rock with shells embedded, with small brushes and sticks protruding from it.
Close-up of a weathered, carved wooden sculpture resembling a grotesque face with large eye openings and a rough texture, set outdoors.
A black-and-white photo of a man sitting on a step, wearing sunglasses, shorts, and sandals. Behind him is a drawing of a biblical scene depicting Jesus Christ carrying the cross.
A black inkblot resembling a butterfly or moth on a white background, with the words 'MUMMY' at the top and 'EARTH' at the bottom.
Selected Publications
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2 + 2 = 5
Published by Urbanomic, 2021
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Introspastic: From the Blackened Beyond
Published by FUEL, 2011
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Memoirs of My Writer’s Block
Published by FUEL, 2010
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The Marriage of Reason and Squalor
Published by FUEL, 2008
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Meat-physics
Published by Creation Books, 2003
Selected films
Further reading
Essay by Maya B. Kronic https://readthis.wtf/writing/esto-e-peor/
