Art and Memes
The conventions of memes have typically been
associated with the internet. However, the sen-
sibilities of memes have always existed in tradi-
tional art. Most notably, the art movements of
dadaism and surrealism have similar aspects of
irony and meta humor to contemportary memes.
Dadaism
One of the earliest artists in the dada move-
ment was Marcel Duchamp. Perhaps his most
well known work is the sculpture Fountain made
in 1917. (Fig. 12) The ‘sculpture’ is a ready-
made, meaning Duchamp obtained the urinal
rather than making it, urinal turned on its side.
Many belive art is a reflection of the society it
was created in. It is thought that the absurdity
of dadaism was a reflection of the absurdity of
World War 1. The Treachery of Images by Rene
Magritte depicts a pipe with a subtitle read-
ing “this is not a pipe.” (Fig. 14) Of course, it is
not a pipe; it is a painting of a pipe. The irony
of this piece is frequently seen in contempo-
rary memes. However, without the meta-in-
terpretation, the work becomes a confusing lie.
Similarly, memes require context to understand.
fig 14
8 | Part One: Early Memes
fig 13
Meta Art
Meta means something self-referential. Meta
humor has become increasingly popular, espe-
cially in meme culture. It has also carried over
to the contemporary art world. Untitled (A
Curse), made in 1992 by Tom Friedman, is
an 11 inch sphere of space floating 11 inch
above the top of a pedestal cursed by a witch.
(Fig. 15) This ‘art’ is a meta conversation about
the constraints of media, similar to Fountain.
Memes also challenge the constraints of art,
calling in to question the intention of the cre-
ators and that to consider the resulting work.
fig 15