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American art collective

MSCHF (pronounced "mischief") is an American art collective based in Brooklyn, New York, United States. The group has around 23 employees.

History

The group was founded in 2016 by Gabriel Whaley, who acts as its CEO. As of January 2020, MSCHF was reported to have received $11.5 million in funding. The most recent funding round was for $8 million in January 2020.

The group operates as a company under the name MSCHF Product Studio, Inc.

Josh Wardle, the Welsh software engineer who created the web-based word game Wordle, joined MSCHF in December 2021.

Releases and legal issues

The group announces the availability of their work in numbered "drops". In May 2018 MSCHF released its first work, titled The Persistence of Chaos. The work was a single 2008 Windows laptop loaded with six malware programs. The programs included were those that had purportedly caused nearly $100 billion in damage to the global economy.

A November 2019 release called Puff the Squeaky Chicken (drop #10) consisted of a rubber chicken that was also a functional bong.

An April 2020 release called Severed Spots (drop #20) involved the purchase of a US$30,000 Damien Hirst spot print. After purchasing the work, MSCHF cut the individual spots out of the print, selling them for $480 each. A second work consisting of the leftover paper, titled 88 Holes, sold for US$261,400.

In 2020, the group released a dog collar called Cuss Collar (drop #15) that turns a dog's barking into spoken swear words.

In June 2020 MSCHF and MrBeast released a one-time multiplayer mobile game titled "Finger on the App" (drop #24). In the game, players touch their phone screen and the last person to remove their finger from the screen wins $25,000. Four people ended up winning $20,000 each after keeping their finger on the app for over 70 hours. The game was reportedly so successful that a sequel titled "Finger on the App 2" was released in March 2021, featuring a grand prize of $100,000. The winner kept their finger on the phone screen for around 51 hours; the second-place finisher also received a prize of $20,000.

In September 2020 MSCHF released Medical Bill Art (drop #30), a series of paintings that were enlargements of medical bills received by American citizens. The paintings were sold for US$78,000, and the proceeds used to pay down the bills the work was built upon.

In February 2021 the group purchased a Boston Dynamics robot dog, and mounted a paintball gun on it. The robot was used in a live performance titled Spot's Rampage (drop #40) that allowed users of the MSCHF app to control the robot and its paintball gun. After MSCHF publicly criticized the potential use of robotic dogs by police forces, Boston Dynamics released a statement criticizing the use of the robot in an artwork.

Also in February 2021, MSCHF purchased four Birkin bags and used them to make sandals, dubbed Birkinstocks (drop #39) after the Birkenstock brand of shoes. The shoes sold for between $34,000 and US$76,000, depending on the size of shoe purchased.

In March 2021 the group released Axe No 5 (drop #41), a mashup of Axe Body Spray and Chanel No. 5 perfume.

Also, on March 29, 2021, MSCHF partnered with Lil Nas X, to release a pair of modified Nike Air Max 97 shoes called Satan Shoes (drop #43), in an edition of 666. The shoes sold for US$1,018, in an apparent reference to Bible verse Luke 10:18. They featured a reversed bronze pentagram, an inverted cross and a drop of real human blood in their sole and sold out in the first minutes of being available for sale. The shoes garnered significant controversy, which led Nike to announce that they were suing MSCHF for trademark infringement and dilution. In Nike's complaint against MSCHF and Lil Nas X, the brand argued that it had "suffered harm to its goodwill, including among consumers who believe that Nike is endorsing satanism." The two companies came to a settlement in April 2021 after a U.S. District Court in Brooklyn granted Nike a temporary restraining order against MSCHF. As part of the settlement, MSCHF agreed to accept returns of the Satan Shoes.

In July 2021, MSCHF released Dead Startup Toys (drop #50). The drop included miniature "toy" versions of the Juicero juicer, the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) rugged laptop, Theranos miniLab, Jibo social robot, and the Coolest Cooler.

In October 2021 the collective offered the original Andy Warhol drawing "Fairies", which they had purchased for $20,000, along with 999 high-quality forgeries they produced, for $250 apiece. Having mixed the fakes with the lone original, MSCHF claimed not to know which was the real Warhol. The event was titled Museum of Forgeries (drop #59). Each of the forgeries and also the lone original were (re)titled "Possibly Real Copy of 'Fairies' by Andy Warhol".

In December 2021, they released Tontine (drop #65), a morbid sort of betting pool loosely based on the 17th century investment scheme of the same name. Participants enter $10 into the pot and then must log in every day lest they be eliminated. The last person remaining gets the pot.

In 2022, MSCHF released the MSCHF Sneakers app. This shopping app notifies users of limited-edition, MSCHF sneaker releases and facilitates purchases in less than 10 seconds.

In January 2022, MSCHF released OnlyBags (drop #66). The drop consisted of a website where users could browse and purchase shopping bags from luxury brands. All bags sold out in under a minute.

In February 2023, MSCHF trended on social media after revealing its upcoming drop the Big Red Boots. The Big Red Boots released on Feb. 16 at 11 a.m. ET at mschf.com and on the MSCHF Sneakers app for $350. American professional wrestler Seth Rollins prominently wore them on an episode of WWE's Monday Night RAW bringing wide-spread attention to them.

In June 2023, MSCHF sold a microscopic 'Louis Vuitton' handbag for over $63,000 through an online auction. MSCHF utilized this drop to provide commentary on the prioritization of designer brands over functionality of bags.

In April 2024, MSCHF released Candy AirPods. MSCHF created a mint-flavored candy replica of Apple's Wireless Ear Buds (known as AirPods). MSCHF's Candy AirPods retailed for $50 and are currently sold out.

In September 2024, Gufram and MSCHF released a version of the 1971 Radical design Pratone (seat) [it] seat called Cut Pratone®. It was displayed complete with grass "clippings" and red "bloodied foam innards". The exhibition at Perrotin gallery in New York also showcased other works including an altered version of the Cactus coat stand rendered as a cellular base station with multiple 5G antenna.

Vans, Inc. v. MSCHF Prod. Studio, Inc.

MSCHF was issued a preliminary injunction by the Second Court of Appeals by a trademark and trade dress infringement claim by Vans, Inc. for the "Wavy Baby" shoes. The "Wavy Baby" shoes by MSCHF sold 4,306 pairs. MSCHF argued that the use of the wave design was a part of First Amendment protection therefore not infringement. The Second Court of Appeals affirmed the District Court's order for the preliminary injunction.

References

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