Artist Qualeasha Wood has publicly accused another artist, known as Aphex Redditor, of copying her performance art piece. Wood staged a performance called 'Attention Economy' in March 2025 at London's Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, where she lay in bed scrolling through her phone for an extended period, a concept the gallery's release described as 'bed rotting.' A similar performance by Aphex Redditor, titled 'BedRot,' went viral on social media after she scrolled through Instagram Reels for 24 hours at Montreal's Eastern Bloc art center.
The accusation highlights ongoing issues of originality, recognition, and racial bias within the contemporary art world and social media landscape. Wood's response on Instagram suggested that her work as a Black woman was initially dismissed, while a similar performance by a white-presenting artist was romanticized and achieved viral fame. This incident raises questions about who gets credit for conceptual art in the digital age and the politics of rest and visibility, themes central to Wood's acclaimed tapestry work, which has been acquired by institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art.