Told I Been Doing It Wrong All My Life I’m Doubling Down (2024)
Deluxe adult backpack, 17x13x9.5 inches
Serving as his brand Rongwr0ng‘s first official product, Shirt bootlegged the backpack seen in Pope.L’s work in the artist’s 2019 exhibition at MoMA, member: Pope.L, 1978-2001. Weatherproof with dual main compartments, separate laptop compartment, water bottle pockets, and waist belt, the deluxe bag is embroidered “POPE.L” in red capital letters, with black tape obscuring its branding. Not specified to customers beforehand, every purchase of the backpack includes a 1-of-1 artwork by Shirt of a piece of found mail with a handwritten text in paint marker reading: “Told I been doing it wrong all my life I’m doubling down.” Referring to the Pope.L work as “one of his favorite artworks ever made,” Shirt first encountered the bag hanging on the wall at MoMA in 2019 (picture above) describing how Pope.L would regularly “haunt” the exhibition, spontaneously ambling through the galleries. If the adjacent hook was empty, Pope.L was near; if the bag hung in place, he was absent. Seeing it again in early 2020, worn by a performer during Pope.L’s Eating The Wall Street Journal (Flag Version) performance at MoMA, Shirt captured 60+ photos around these events, offered as a free download here. While the backpack is currently for sale, it may also be borrowed as part of a program in which certain Rongwr0ng items are shipped to people free of charge, to be used for a short period, cleaned, and returned to send to someone else. Since December 2024, Rongwr0ng’s shared Pope.L backpack has circulated among several people. More information can be found here.
Additional photos and material available upon request
Deluxe adult backpack, 17x13x9.5 inches
Serving as his brand Rongwr0ng‘s first official product, Shirt bootlegged the backpack seen in Pope.L’s work in the artist’s 2019 exhibition at MoMA, member: Pope.L, 1978-2001. Weatherproof with dual main compartments, separate laptop compartment, water bottle pockets, and waist belt, the deluxe bag is embroidered “POPE.L” in red capital letters, with black tape obscuring its branding. Not specified to customers beforehand, every purchase of the backpack includes a 1-of-1 artwork by Shirt of a piece of found mail with a handwritten text in paint marker reading: “Told I been doing it wrong all my life I’m doubling down.” Referring to the Pope.L work as “one of his favorite artworks ever made,” Shirt first encountered the bag hanging on the wall at MoMA in 2019 (picture above) describing how Pope.L would regularly “haunt” the exhibition, spontaneously ambling through the galleries. If the adjacent hook was empty, Pope.L was near; if the bag hung in place, he was absent. Seeing it again in early 2020, worn by a performer during Pope.L’s Eating The Wall Street Journal (Flag Version) performance at MoMA, Shirt captured 60+ photos around these events, offered as a free download here. While the backpack is currently for sale, it may also be borrowed as part of a program in which certain Rongwr0ng items are shipped to people free of charge, to be used for a short period, cleaned, and returned to send to someone else. Since December 2024, Rongwr0ng’s shared Pope.L backpack has circulated among several people. More information can be found here.
Additional photos and material available upon request