Controversial meme art by Memesis
With an explosive trend of NFTs flooding the internet, NFTs being non-fungible tokens, it is an ideal time to meet emerging digital artists using this creative method to earn by selling the ownership of digital artworks and images that they have crafted.
One of these wickedly talented individuals is Memesis, what sets this anonymous artist apart from the bevy of digital artists online is his unique spin on classical artworks to produce a fresh, and at times hilarious, piece. Memesis has a strong opinion on the life-changing effect crypto has had on the world, he believes it is the medium of freedom and prosperity as well as the currency of the future, and this idea is exhibited in his work.
Let us get acquainted with this mysterious new creator and take a peek into the transformative world of digital art.
We got to talk with Memesis on quite a few topics, which helped us understand his inspirations and origins as an artist. Memesis, when asked what inspired him to become a creator, had this to say,
“I have been creating art in some way or another my entire life, but it was the cryptocurrency revolution that awakened me to release these works into the world.”
With the dawn of a technological art age, it’s interesting to see how art from past eras can combine with current situations to embody the present, Memesis says,
“My artwork is inspired by the changes that bitcoin and blockchains have ushered in. My second inspiration is memes and popular culture. And the third is classical art. I fuse these influences in my art to speak to our growing crypto community and express our common existential struggles. It’s also personal, as it is a way for me to make sense of the changes that are taking place in our world at such an incredible pace.”
Memesis has released a series of digitally created pieces on Rarible known as the HODL series, this series is a great example of the different faces of meme art. It showcases how contemporary meme culture is definitely used to produce hilarious content but also a way to take a couple of jabs at the blunders of humanity and the fact that modern memes have a few roots embedded in art history too. We asked Memesis what was the idea behind the very first piece he minted, and what an intriguing concept it is.
“The first piece I minted was the Mona Lisa holding one of the most quintessential memes, the doge. It also celebrates the “hodlers” or in common parlance, those crypto investors that hold on to their coins despite the volatility and possible losses in value to their investments. These individuals have inspired me since bitcoin first entered the scene. For me, they represent the essence of the crypto community. They are stubborn, fearless, and driven by a vision. It’s kind of like the Wild West. Nothing is certain and they are exploring new territory at great risk to themselves. So, I wanted to celebrate them and their accomplishments with this lighthearted series. I plan to add other classical and contemporary cultural icons to future HODL works.”
Other than the piece starring Mona Lisa and Doge, artworks from the HODL series also include an aesthetically dark image of Darth Vader in a dramatic pose, holding a bitcoin held high above his head with the words HODL inscribed on the right of the image in neon red.
Perhaps my personal favorite from this series is the piece of Queen Elizabeth staring intensely into the screen while wearing a crown inset with bitcoins and a necklace embedded with ethereum as she grins, something about this piece is so unsettling yet at the same time captivating that you just can’t look away. And according to Memesis, quite a few people have had a similar reaction to it,
“The HODL0.3 piece has had quite polarizing reactions. Some people see it right away and laugh, and are delighted by the juxtaposition of Her Majesty with a Bitcoin crown and ETH jewelry. One person’s first reaction was even, “she just looks so evil!” Others have been offended by the piece. Just to note, I am not suggesting that this in any way reflects Queen Elizabeth II’s actual outlooks or character. But I saw a photograph of her once and this inspired me to create this artwork. This sort of relates to the second question: I’m not literally following the style or subject matter I reference, but I sort of play with the subject to tell a story through the artwork. In this case, this work is about another “Notorious Hodler,” eccentric, famous, and potentially menacing characters who share a common love for crypto hodling.”
Other than HODL, Memesis has another new series up online too, and it is just as bewitching but with an entirely different message in mind,
“My newest piece, and the first one outside of the HODL series, is American Crypto, inspired by American Gothic, painted by Grant Wood in 1930 (another tempestuous time in our history). American Crypto is a “living painting”, combining music and animation with a static subject. Unlike the comedic register of the HODL series, this piece is more somber. The two persons in this painting represent the everyman. The woman cries since the man has spent probably a significant amount of their money on crypto. But his eyes glow (laser eyes) because he believes in the crypto vision. Her tear falls in cadence to the man’s glowing eyes. Organ music accompanies them and reaches a crescendo, as lasers erupt from the man’s eyes, obliterating all in front of him, symbolic of the success of the crypto movement. However, there is still uncertainty mixed with hope in the end.”
The way Memesis brings his art to life is more than just a style, it is a form of self-expression that cannot be categorized into the typically known techniques, whether it’s contemporary or traditional. Many people nowadays question the authenticity of meme art, and whether it should actually be considered as a genuine art form, here’s what Memesis had to say about this particular form of creation and his own style,
“I don’t try to fit into a style, be it classical or modern. I in fact like to experiment with styles in my work. However, I do often reference classical paintings in my art, just like I do pop culture and meme personas. I suppose this is fitting for art that ultimately resides on the blockchain, as it is a sort of ledger of our cultural predecessors. I also think of it as a conversation between me, my audience, and the characters depicted in those artworks. In this sense, I think it is an authentic style, even provocative at times.”
In this technologically driven and dependent world, I believe it is rather nonsensical to debate that digital art and meme art is not just as authentic and real as the traditional mediums of art, artists like Memesis have forged a unique method of creation that will most likely continue for many years. Check out the rest of Memesis’s collection on Rarible to enjoy his striking creations for yourself.
