ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE
SOCIAL EDIT
3D+SOCIAL ART: EMPOWERING
SOCIAL CHANGE
BY
LUCY BECKWITH AND
SIV SIVASAMY
FOUNDING MEMBER OF MAYFAIR
COLLECTIVE
The facilitation of user-generated art perfectly
reflects and expresses the way Social Media
Culture works. Digital citizens are encouraged
to engage, create and share continuously.
This is exemplified in the images-sharing
universe of Instagram, Whatsapp,
FB Messenger, Twitter and others where
images, emojis and gifs, animated or
otherwise, are shared in the hundreds of
millions.
US artist Robodrone reflects and expresses
this new reality. Giphy, the world’s most
famous search engine for gifs and emojis
directly accessed for immediate sharing from
giant social media messages platforms such
as Twitter, Instagram, FB Messenger and
WhatsApp has given Robodrone an artist
channel to showcase his gifs and emojis.
Their novelty has attracted almost 20 million
views in less than two months.
Robodrone’s social media enabling art, at first glance, evokes Renaissance artist Botticelli’s ‘Birth of Venus’ meeting Faberge, Belle Epoque jewellery to
the Empress of Russia. It can be viewed as showing the boundary of the old analogue world simultaneously acting as a bridge to the new digital one.
Social Media Tech giants Twitter and Facebook/Instagram have recognised how well the art reflects the new digital culture they are helping create
and have requested the Hashtag Queens artwork on loan – Twitter for its annual event in 2018 and Facebook/Instagram at their London headquarters
in 2019.
Contini Contemporary art gallery, located in London’s Mayfair and run by pioneering modern art
partners Fulvio Grannochia and Cristian Contini is exhibiting Robodrone’s ground-breaking art
until February 2020. In a radical twist, people entering the art exhibit are no longer visitors. They
are visiting artists instead, who are encouraged and enabled by Robodrone and the gallery to create
value-added art in the matrix of the Hashtag Queens throne and share it by live – posting to their
friends globally via social media apps. This is the making of the new art form
now known as 3D+ Social Art.Giphy, the world’s best-known search engine and data server for gifs and emojis are exhibiting
the animated artworks and providing direct access to over 50 Robodrone gifs and emojis on its
Robodrone artist channel to social media users on partner platforms such as Instagram, Twitter,
Facebook, Whatsapp and Viber. Over 18 million people have viewed and shared Hashtag Queens
gifs in the past two months. This new art form has given people a new and direct virtual access to
Robodrone’s art. It is the wave of the future.