RT4A

The name rt4a began as a mishearing. In 2013–2014 I dictated ‘Arty Fouray’, a nickname modelled on ‘Andy Warhol’, to my phone in English. Siri wrote RT4A.

‘Arty Fouray’ kept the four and six letters of Warhol’s name. The transcription turned it into letters and a number: a proper name became an impersonal acronym.

A code became a signature: a gesture more Warholian than I would have thought, and almost Cagean. RT4A attributes a work while saying less about its maker, so recognition need not depend on a recognisable style.

I drew its logo in February 2014. Since 2021 RT4A has been my artist’s name and my signature, on paintings, objects and music: one name, no shared style. The music has been on streaming platforms since 2022.

RT4A is open to other artists and is not defined by the short span of one artist’s life. The paintings, objects and recordings are different uses of the same name; their titles, materials and credits show what each one does.