IRL/url, Art21’s Inaugural Social-First Series, Explores Artists’ Identity and Selfhood Online and Offline, while bringing their stories to a new audience

New Series Premiering November 14 Features Neïl Beloufa, Jacky Connolly, Julien Creuzet, Sara Cwynar, Ho Tzu Nyen, Xin Liu, Rachel Rossin, and Jacolby Satterwhite

New York, New York—September 24, 2025 — Art21 and CHANEL Culture Fund today announced a new partnership and the debut of IRL/url, a series of over 30 episodic documentary films designed specifically for social media viewing and sharing. The series profiles eight contemporary artists living and working across the physical and digital worlds, reflecting our increasingly hybridized lives. Featuring Neïl Beloufa, Jacky Connolly, Julien Creuzet, Sara Cwynar, Ho Tzu Nyen, Xin Liu, Rachel Rossin, and Jacolby Satterwhite, IRL/url premieres November 14, with over 30 new films debuting on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays through January 2026. The short films will be available on Art21’s TikTok, YouTube, and website Art21.org, with highlights on Chanel’s and Art21’s Instagram. 

IRL/url is the first collaboration between CHANEL Culture Fund, which supports global cultural innovators in advancing new ideas that shape culture around the world, and Art21, a nonprofit that documents the art of our time through the words and works of today’s most impactful artists. 

“Today, artists are working across both physical and virtual worlds, reshaping how we understand identity, community, and creative expression in an increasingly hybridized society,” said Tina Kukielski, Art21’s Susan Sollins Executive Director and Chief Curator. “With IRL/url, we are proud to expand our signature documentary style to the platforms that define a new generation, and to introduce audiences worldwide to artists whose practices reflect upon and wrestle with this new reality. This series continues Art21’s commitment to amplifying the voices of artists and deepening access to contemporary art, wherever viewers are. We’re deeply grateful to CHANEL Culture Fund for their partnership and shared belief in the power of storytelling to spark global connection and cultural understanding.”

“At Chanel, we believe in the primacy of human creativity, and are excited by the possibilities that advanced technologies are presenting to artists in service of their visions,” said Yana Peel, President of Arts, Culture & Heritage, CHANEL. “This project speaks directly to this intersection—amplifying the voices of artists who are not only using new media as a tool for expression, but also embracing all of the platforms available for storytelling beyond the museum. Art21 has long been a leader in telling artists’ stories through films that are both personal and universally relevant, and we are honored to partner with them on this next frontier. As the digital realm becomes a central space for civic life, it’s thrilling to support a project that brings the lives of artists to platforms like TikTok, which are native to a new generation. CHANEL Culture Fund is proud to champion bold experimentation and expand access to the arts—meeting audiences where they are, and empowering artists to harness new technologies.” 

The eight artists featured in IRL/url were each born at the dawn of the digital revolution and came into maturity alongside the ubiquity of the World Wide Web and social media platforms, at a time when algorithms began to drive our consumption and gaming consoles entered over 100 million homes worldwide. As a result, Art21 selected this generation of artists for their unique ability to reflect on a world increasingly shaped by digital influence, having lived through the transformation from an analog past to a hybrid digital-physical present.

While staying true to Art21’s signature intimate documentary style, the episodes within the series take on the conventions of TikTok with vertical video, multipart narratives, and storytelling that is immediately engaging and informative. Embracing the culture of the platform, the series offers insights into the multifaceted practices of each artist through a suite of interconnected films in short form, delving deep into specific works, processes, or propositions. Following artists at work in their studios, finding inspiration in the city streets, walking through major works and exhibitions, and breaking down complex ideas, these films highlight the many ways artists navigate our blended IRL/url world. TikTok is a discovery tool increasingly employed for search, where generations of digitally native users seek out perspectives to shape their worldviews and craft their identities. Recognizing the expanded ways information is disseminated through social media, this series embraces its power as an educational tool and blazes new pathways to connect with developing audiences hungry for stories about art, technology, and our contemporary condition. 

IRL/url marks the first time that Art21 has documented the work of Neïl Beloufa (b. 1985, Paris, France), Jacky Connolly (b. 1990, Lower Hudson Valley, New York), Julien Creuzet (b. 1986, Le Blanc-Mesnil, France), Sara Cwynar (b. 1985, Vancouver, Canada), and Ho Tzu Nyen (b. 1976, Singapore). Xin Liu (b. 1991, Xinjiang, China), Rachel Rossin (b. 1987, West Palm Beach, Florida), and Jacolby Satterwhite (b.1986, Columbia, South Carolina) have previously been profiled in Art21’s digital series New York Close Up, with IRL/url deepening Art21’s exploration of their evolving practices. All Art21 documentary films are available for free across its digital platforms, providing over 80+ hours of accessible art education that reaches over five million people globally.

Art21 and CHANEL Culture Fund will announce the schedule for IRL/url this fall. 

Download press kit and high-resolution images here. 

 

About CHANEL Culture Fund

CHANEL Culture Fund fosters a vibrant network of creators and innovators to advance the ideas that shape culture worldwide. Core programs include CHANEL’s Art Partners, institutions whose leaders are supported in the development of ground-breaking, long-term initiatives that bring innovation to the cultural landscape. The CHANEL Next Prize celebrates artists and accelerates their future successes through access to resources and mentorship. And the podcast CHANEL Connects and ARTS & CULTURE Magazine amplify the voices of thought-leaders across disciplines, generations, and geographies—tackling the defining issues of our time.

 From driving artistic innovation with technology at CalArts in Southern California to catalysing creative freedom at scale at Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin, from championing game-changing artists at the Venice Biennale to celebrating the brightest directors at the British Film Institute, CHANEL Culture Fund extends a century of commitment to the arts and champions creative audacity for a better future.

 

About Art21

Art21 documents the art of our time through the words and works of the most impactful artists working today. Operating at the nexus of contemporary art and film, Art21 produces intimate portraits of artists at crucial moments of creation, inviting audiences to see the world from an artist’s perspective. From its award-winning public television series to in-person public programs, education initiatives, and film screenings, to broadcasting documentary films free, online, and across social media platforms, the independent nonprofit is dedicated to meeting audiences where they are and to making contemporary art accessible to all. For more information, visit Art21.org.

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Media Contacts
Hannah DeGarmo
Associate Director of Communications
hannah@art21.org

 

Francesca Kielb/Emma Frohardt/Annie Poole
Resnicow and Associates
art21@resnicow.com
734-548-0412 / 212-671-5157 / 212-671-5183