SELFIES AS ART
Les selfies considérés comme des oeuvres d'art
A Londres, la Saatchi Gallery accueille jusqu’au 30 mai prochain une exposition consacrée au selfie. On peut y voir des oeuvres de Christopher Baker, Tracey Emin, Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Cindy Sherman, Gavin Turk ou encore Vélasquez… Cette association d’autoportraits d’artistes classiques et contemporains offre une nouvelle perspective sur un genre propre à l’ère du téléphone mobile.
Art has now become a medium of infinite possibilities it seems, far past the paintbrush and canvas - now livestreams, live performance, and even selfies have the ability to name themselves as art. That's partially due to the fact 'art' in itself is such a vague term, meaning there's always space to challenge and re-interpret the term under new lights. Which is exactly what the Saatchi gallery intends to do, re-claiming the idea of the 'selfie' from the hands of narcissism and presenting it as an integral, and long-practised form of self expression.
2.The new exhibition Selfie to Self-Expression expands the notion of the word to
include self portraiture from the likes of Vincent van Gogh, Tracey Emin, Rembrandt, Velazquez, June Calypso and Kutluğ Ataman. Famous works sit alongside more traditional examples of the 'selfie'; from one taken with Barack Obama and David Cameron, to the famous moment Benedict Cumberbatch photobombed a press shot at the Academy Awards. AN OLD PRACTICE, A NEW DEFINITION 3. Nigel Hurst, chief executive officer at the gallery, states: "In many ways, the selfie represents the epitome of contempo-
rary culture’s transition into a highly digitalised and technologically advanced age as mobile phone technology has caught up with the camera. The exhibition presents a compelling insight into the history and creative potential of the selfie."
4.Glory Zhang, of Huawei - which is partnering with the Saatchi Gallery for the exhibition - said: "The smartphone has become a tool of artistic expression. "The selfie generation is becoming the self-expression generation as each of us seeks to explore and share our inner creativity through the one artistic tool to which we all have access: The smartphone."