OCAD University Open Research Repository

Refuge in Audacity: Let the Memes Fall as They May

Arif, Kashfia (2023) Refuge in Audacity: Let the Memes Fall as They May. Masters thesis, OCAD University.

Item Type: Thesis
Creators: Arif, Kashfia
Abstract:

Through the presentation of memes created during the pandemic, the graduate exhibition Refuge in Audacity: Let the Memes Fall as They May explores manifestations of absurdism and dark humour as a means of catharsis and healing in order to befit the individual’s desire to seek meaning in an otherwise meaningless existence. The rampant transmission of memes during the COVID-19 Pandemic revealed an outpouring of absurdism in the aftermath of this global crisis. A response that is similar to the Spanish Flu and World War I where, steeped in collective grief and trauma, the global population sought refuge in humour, the surreal, and the nonsensical. Contemporary visual creators also employ humour in their response to the existential crisis brought by the pandemic. The memes in this exhibition are all taken from the period starting with the declaration of COVID-19 as a pandemic in March 2020 till the present—since the pandemic is still ongoing—and are printed and displayed in the gallery space. Refuge in Audacity showcases the usage of memes as an absurd expression of experience during the pandemic years and reflects on their identity as the storytellers of the period.

Date: March 2023
Uncontrolled Keywords: absurdism, memes, pandemic, COVID-19, visual culture
Divisions: Graduate Studies
Graduate Studies > Criticism and Curatorial Practice
Date Deposited: 05 May 2023 13:38
Last Modified: 05 May 2023 13:38
URI: https://openresearch.ocadu.ca/id/eprint/3995

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