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New Los Angeles Exhibition Celebrates The Black History of Memes

Los Angeles exhibit to showcase Black History of Memes.

From the evolution of photos and GIFs, to short videos, the Black meme community has become a pivotal part of pop culture on social media. Over the last decade, the way Black people share memes is an expression of ourselves — of who we are, and how we feel at a certain moment in time.

Afro Surrealist, artist Alim Smith is debuting a collection of meme portraits at a pop-up exhibit, titled Family Reunion. 

“I feel like the emotions that I chose really capture pandemic energy. They capture how the world feels right now to me, at least, or what the world looks like to me right now,” Smith shared.

To honor our evolution and cultural impact, the new exhibit celebrating Black memes is slated to open on February 23 in Los Angeles.

The gallery will pay homage to the hall of famers of Black meme culture including Kayla Nicole Jones, Kalin Elisa, Sweet Brown, Soulja Boy, Viola Davis, and more.

Check out  some of the images featured in the Black History of Memes exhibit below. For more info visit the website here.

alim smith
Kalin Elisa “Squat and Squint”
alim smith
Quenlin Blackwell “Me Explaining To…”
alim smith black history of memes exhibit
Colin aka “Side-Eyes”
alim smith
Sweet Brown “Ain’t Nobody Got Time For That”
alim smith
Soulja Boy “Draaaaake”

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