05 Dec Los Angeles Magazine: The Museum of Selfies Is a Thing and It’s Coming to L.A.
And, no, that’s not just what we call our basic friend’s Instagram feed
By Lisa Beebe Art
If the title of this post made you roll your eyes in disgust, you aren’t alone. The Museum of Selfies’ creators, Tommy Honton and Tair Mamedov, understand that selfies are a divisive topic. Honton says, “We are fully expecting people to go ‘What the hell is this?’ or ‘Oh god, another one of these Instagram palaces?’ but it’s actually a museum. You can create cool photos there—that’s a huge part of it—but another part of it is, you can explore what it took to get to this point, and why people even take these things.”
Mamedov says, “Nowadays, museums are not just a place where you just come to check the art. They’re a place where you come to create something, using your phone and usually your pretty face to collaborate with existing art and make something new.” He hopes that The Museum of Selfies will raise questions about art, artists, and “the fine border between consumer and artist.”
Visitors to the museum can explore ten fully interactive exhibits and snap photos of themselves while learning about selfie culture. Honton and Mamedov have worked with artists from around the world to develop a museum-worthy collection of selfie-inspired art.
Even if you believe selfies encapsulate everything wrong with modern society, Honton thinks you’ll find the museum worth a visit. He points out that humans have been depicting themselves in art for more than 40,000 years, and says, “We want the snarkiness. We welcome skeptics. We welcome people going, ‘Really?’ because we want to try to change their minds. Even if they walk away hating selfie culture, at least they can acknowledge that it does have a place in our society—good, bad, or otherwise.“
The Museum of Selfies is located at 211 N. Brand Boulevard in Glendale. Once it opens in January, the museum’s hours will be Wednesday to Friday, noon to 8 p.m., and weekends, noon to 10 p.m. Tickets will be $25. Sign up online to be notified when they go on sale.
Source: Los Angeles Magazine