Since Instagram was created, everyone in the artistic community has been trying to unfold the social-media platform’s impact on the art world.

It’s not uncommon to read about collectors purchasing art works via Direct Message, creating in turn a new special kind of ‘Instagrammable’ art that looks good on screen as well, if not better, as in real life.

Meme Art

A Tale of History and Digital

A thread that has been less-documented has been the sping of the so-called meme accounts: channels with the sole purpose of agglomerating shareable content, with the use of humorous and even down-right satirical posts. Meme Channels usually establish their own peculiar style, inside jokes or favourite targets of humor. Some create original content while others just end up sharing repurposed content, adding close to no value to it. Although the quality of the actual post vary drastically from account to account, the end goal is to make an impact and Humour is the best path to virality.

I talked about this trend with Luka Neziri, known on Instagram as @mo_rte, digital artist who has chosen to refine the concept of meme-art by incorporating classical pieces and well renowned artworks who defined the History of Humanity in his creations.

“Whenever I create my piece I always start by a picture, usually from the fashion infused but it could be as well be taken from current pop culture, analyzing its composition and set up. Then the fun part happens: I start doing researches upon researches throughout the history of arts, to find a work that matches. There’s not definitive criteria: I could choose it because of the colors, or the composition, or a specific element that’s calling out to me. Sometimes the choices can be even dictated by an overarching theme, such is the case with one of my last pieces that portray two BLM protesters in the middle of the “Liberty Leading the People” painting by Eugène Delacroix."

Fashion & Luxury Culture Department - Creative Marketing Director

MARTINO GARAVAGLIA

When asked to comment on the state of the Digital Art and Pop Culture Luka had this to say : “Some people have compared my posts to Street Art but I don’t see it: Street Art is a result of a very precise situation, a condition of the being, that doesn’t reflect my vision or creative process at all. I’m glad that, as an Italian, I was exposed since I was very young to History of Arts throughout my education because, wether you like it or not, it really shapes your mind and lets you see patterns that otherwise you’d find hard to spot”.