Anyone who uses social media has come across it at some point – the meme.
There are the classic animal memes, featuring cats and 'Doge', or the more recent "2020 Challenge", in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, or the man skateboarding along to Fleetwood Mac's Dreams or "How it's started / How it's going". This paragraph is, arguably, evidence that the visual medium does not lend itself to a written description.
Now, this ubiquitous element of internet culture is the focus of an art exhibition titled Memennial 2020: A Biennial 4 Memes.
The artist-led initiative will debut in December across three cities, Seattle, Dallas and Sydney, and will include meme screenings, shows with physical artworks and an online exhibition with digital art. Writing and analysis around meme culture will also be included.
On the Memennial website, the organisers elevate the role of the meme beyond a visual expression of humour: “Memes move elections / Memes move revolutions / Memes move consciousness / Memes move laughter out of our dark cavernous guts”.
Adding: “They serve as a coping mechanism during the first global pandemic in our lifetimes. They subvert discourse faster than any other medium. They create society.”
This first biennial for memes is founded by artist Anam Bahlam, who told Artnet News, “Memes are free and author-less and make me think about society a little differently. So I wanted to honour these aesthetic creators.”
Bahlam will curate the show with Soomi Han, and together they have selected the artists in the exhibition, including Hannah Epstein, Rowen Foster and Sylv Hannah.
They are also accepting submissions via an online open call, where individuals from around the world can submit memes, digital art, object-based art and writings on memes until November 22.
Defined as a replicable idea within a culture or society, the internet meme has taken the form of image-and-text combinations featuring animals, cartoons, TV shows or stock images. The results are shared on social media as jokes or reactions, and often "go viral" or spread quickly online.
More information on Memennial 2020: A Biennial 4 Memes can be found on biennial4memes.com
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Bah
Born: 1972
Husband: Emirati lawyer Salem Bin Sahoo, since 1992
Children: Soud, born 1993, lawyer; Obaid, born 1994, deceased; four other boys and one girl, three months old
Education: BA in Elementary Education, worked for five years in a Dubai school
Reading List
Practitioners of mindful eating recommend the following books to get you started:
Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life by Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr Lilian Cheung
How to Eat by Thich Nhat Hanh
The Mindful Diet by Dr Ruth Wolever
Mindful Eating by Dr Jan Bays
How to Raise a Mindful Eaterby Maryann Jacobsen
The specs
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Related
'The Sky is Everywhere'
Director:Josephine Decker
Stars:Grace Kaufman, Pico Alexander, Jacques Colimon
Rating:2/5
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Rashford 36')
Liverpool 1 (Lallana 84')
Man of the match: Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
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Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Surianah's top five jazz artists
Billie Holliday: for the burn and also the way she told stories.
Thelonius Monk: for his earnestness.
Duke Ellington: for his edge and spirituality.
Louis Armstrong: his legacy is undeniable. He is considered as one of the most revolutionary and influential musicians.
Terence Blanchard: very political - a lot of jazz musicians are making protest music right now.
