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More Than 50 GIF Artists Take On Selfie Culture

An international array of artists find that perfect downward camera angle at Transfer Gallery’s ‘Nargifsus'
Faith Holland. GIFs courtesy of Transfer Gallery

Tonight the emergent digital art scene converges at Brooklyn’s Transfer Gallery for Nargifsus, a special animated self-portrait screening that will close Carla Gannis’ show A Subject Self-­Defined. NYC-based visual artist Gannis and Berlin-based curator Tina Sauerländer teamed up to bring together the work of more than 50 international artists through a very narcissistic special projection of never-seen-before GIFs.

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“We invited a diverse group of international artists, working in new media, performance, photography, and interdisciplinary art, ” Tina Sauerlaender tells The Creators Project. “For some, it was their first time making a GIF! Nargifsus reflects our global networked society and links different artistic practices and approaches, ” she says, adding that the duo took advantage of  the multimedia publishing platform NewHive's blank “canvas” space and the many features offered by the platform to crystallize the one-night GIF orgy into a unique and eye-catching online GIF show.

As Sauerländer’s curated show Porn to Pizza—Domestic Clichés examined the digital age, Nargifsus expands Gannis’ solo show investigation by further interrogating  selfie culture and how we deal with our self-display. “It’s been eye-opening and exciting to see over 50 different interpretations of what an animated “selfie self-portrait” can be,” Carla Gannis says.“They are all very diverse, and quite a few of them subvert expectations we might have about selfies and contemporary self portraiture. These aspects lend relevance to my exhibition about personally defining one’s subjecthood and “self” in the digital age."

This looped celebration will also mark Transfer's birthday—the gallery was founded by its director Kelani Nichole three years ago. If you can’t make it to the gallery tonight, the show will be on view via NewHive beginning tomorrow. Meanwhile, here is a sneak-peak of the mind-blowing selection.

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Click here to learn more about Carla Gannis’ work and here for more on Tina Sauerländer’s practice.

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