Throughout all eras of art there have been major changes in the way we create and view artwork. In the past there have been a number of discussions as to what is, and is not, an art form and the latest debate to arise is the selfie.
The world’s first selfie exhibition, name ‘From Selfie to Self Expression’ will begin at the Saatchi Gallery at the end of the month. It will explore this photography craze and will focus on the way in which the smartphone has become an artistic device. But, is the selfie the latest emerging artform or just the latest narcissistic trend?
Selfies: Art or Vanity?
Selfies are photographs that a person takes of themselves, usually by holding the camera at arm’s length or by using a selfie stick, and initially they were seen as a vain way for people to show off on social media. However, selfies quickly became one of the most popular types of photograph uploaded to platforms such as Instagram. As the popularity of the selfie gained momentum it quickly became a form of expression. Individuals are free to take a photograph of themselves and express whatever feeling or emotion they are experiencing.
Celebrities around the globe quickly jumped on the selfie bandwagon and some have gained millions of online followers by doing so. In fact, Kim Kardashian released a best-selling book entirely made up of photos she had taken of herself, entitled ‘Selfish’. Initially, selfies were viewed as being negative and way for people to seek online praise. However, this notion seems to be changing and there is a growing number of people that are seeing the selfie as a form of self-expression, much like the self portrait. In fact, there are hundreds of tools and online applications to help people take the perfect selfie and as selfie pros will explain, there is much more involved than taking a quick snapshot. Getting a good selfie requires creativity and an artistic eye.
The self portrait is widely accepted as an art form and it is easy to argue that the selfie is the modern equivalent of this. After all, self portraits were often commissioned by the individuals themselves to hang in their homes to show them looking their best. Arguably, a selfie is a modern equivalent.
The selfie exhibition will feature selfies taken by different people and for different reasons, looking at the ways in which self-photographs are a form of self-expression. It will open on March 31st and will run for two months.
Many of our artists here at Art2Arts create portraits, sometimes of themselves and sometimes of other fascinating subjects! Do you think the selfie is similar to this art form? Let us know if the comments below.
