I wouldn’t consider myself a meme fanatic, however, one thing is for sure, memes are definitely here to stay, and quite frankly, I don’t understand the objection in considering them art. 

The fact the you can pull a clip from anything that has ever been placed on the internet, change its meaning in order to create new meaning, AND has the ability to make one laugh, is God given gif-t.

Like any piece of art, memes take time, both in envisioning and in creating them. Memes can also be interpreted in many different ways, bringing unity, as well as creating many communities all at once. In Are Memes The New Art Form Of The 21st Century by Em Mampusti, she has a chat with 3 meme creators to discuss if memes have “evolved enough to be considered a modern art form”.

Given meme’s ability to “relay a certain thought with a funny tone” and “capture the short attention span of people online”, it’s art form certainly is modern especially when comparing to the seriousness of everything we consider actual art. Whatever that means.

Memes are a “language of its own” that is able to express and convey an emotion or hidden message by sharing ideas and emotions that are open to interpretation.

I couldn’t possibly understand anyone who is opposes  memes. If you find yourself to be one of those people, I promise it is because you are finding or receiving memes that do not please your particular humor. 

 As for Art, for those who only believe that “true art” is everything before the neoclassicism period, it is time to face reality. The world has changed, and neither one of us should have the power to dictate what is Art or what is not. Can we judge whether it is good or bad Art? Most definitely.

Also, Mampusti mentions an important fact, that “the present we are facing now is far from normal” and memes enable the people to make humor out of bad situations that clearly lighten the mood of millions.  And this particular fact, is my most appreciated benefit from memes. 

Mounir Lynch’s Memes are a form of art not getting the recognition it deserves says it all in its title. Lynch’s angle is that the “artistic elements” required to make a successful meme, goes unnoticed and “never gain[s] appreciation until”, like a large percentage of undiscovered and unappreciated art out there, ceases to exist or much time has past since its birth.

In Memes, Lynch discusses all that art is, its definition, and why meme making is no different than a painting. Memes are “an emotional expression through images, and can be about any topic under the sun”, so why not accept it as an art form?

My collaboration to the meme realm.

This entry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.