In this day and age, the Internet permeates almost every aspect of our lives. It was only a matter of time until the art scene became saturated with fresh faces who use the Internet in ways never before seen. These artists have taken the World Wide Web and used it as their marketing tool, muse, and even exhibition space.
With platforms like Instagram and Twitter, artists and audiences alike have been unbound from the restrictions of exhibition spaces. Buyers can now order new works straight from an artist's Instagram feed while social networks like Tumblr allow artists to reach untold amounts of people from the comfort of their beds. In a time of constant Internet access, the artist and art addict have never been so close. Here are The Craziest Stories of Artist Internet Success.
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Brandon C. Long
Petra Cortright
Year: Joined Tumblr in 2009
If you've ever caught yourself stuck in front of your computer screen with a bit of drool on your keyboard, you were most like enraptured by the work of Mr. Div. His spellbinding GIFs have a feeling of nostalgia, yet remain essentially modern, stopping viewers in their tracks time and time again. His memorizing GIFs, which became popular on Tumblr, have caught the attention creative masterminds Daft Punk and Frank Ocean, just to name a few, and his Tumblr following is upwards of 120,000.
Year: Joined Tumblr in 2009
Jamie Martinez used his Tumblr and GIF-making skills to create works that tweak and twitch before the eye, most notably GIFs of M.I.A. The Matangi artist loved the eerie GIFs so much that she swiftly signed Martinez to her label, NEET. Martinez's subtle yet arresting images have innumerable reblogs and have landed him in the company of yet another creative genius.
Year: Started making GIF-iti in 2013
Following his realization that art was no longer limited to walls but instead easily viewable with a click of a mouse, INSA concluded that there was a need for a form of art that responded directly to the Internet and its abilities. INSA's combination of scintillating street art and the new age of the GIF has created an innovative platform for viewing street art around the world in new and inventive ways. This medium has become known as GIF-iti.
Ashley Longshore
Donald Robertson
Year: Created his viral video in 2007
Currently in his early 30s, Christoph Rehage can now look back at his 11-month expedition across China with tenure. The then 26-year-old's 2,796-mile trek from Beijing to his final stop in Ürümqi gained critical acclaim amongst the social media populace after his short film The Longest Way found its way into every inbox, MySpace page, and Facebook post.
Year: Founded in 2007
Reed + Rader is the brainchild of two hometown friends who came to New York and took the city by storm. The duo began with photography, but when that wasn't enough, they decided to look to the source that brought them together in the first place, the Internet. Their evolution from still photography to pictures with movement elevated the GIF to a reputable form of art.
