London’s Saatchi Gallery launched a new exhibition “From Selfie to Self-Expression” on March 31.
The exhibition looks at the history of selfies.
The first artwork is a digitized self-portrait of Rembrandt, a 17th century Dutch artist.
Presented on a screen, artgoers can “like” paintings from the old masters—just like on social media.
Further into the exhibit, the modern-day selfie makes an appearance.
Saatchi Gallery CEO Nigel Hurst said the exhibit challenges our modern perception of the selfie by comparing the old and new use of the art form, “It’s not about sharing our humanity, it’s about really sharing a version of our identity that we would like people to believe.”
Selfies of David Beckham and reality TV star Kim Kardashian make an appearance, along with a selfie shot by a monkey.
The exhibition concludes with a critical stance on selfies.
Mexican artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Polish artist Krzysztof Wodiczko offer an installation consisting of 12 surveillance cameras.
The exhibition runs from March 31 to May 30, 2017.
