From Selfie to Self Expression, and how smartphone snaps made it into the gallery

While many have been quick to make the links between a “selfie” and a “self-portrait,” there is naturally still a perceived gulf between the two.

Juno Calypso, Honeymoon Suite, 2015. Image courtesy of the artist and TJ Boulting Gallery

Juno Calypso, Honeymoon Suite, 2015. Image courtesy of the artist and TJ Boulting Gallery

Linguistically, the modes feel worlds apart: a “selfie” connotes a throwaway instant capturing of a moment, likely with a view to show that off to a likely personal pool of people on social media – a good hair day, perhaps; a wine-lensed snapshot in a particularly glamorous restaurant toilet.

“Self-portrait” on the other hands suggests a very different, and far more considered staging for an image, and also a very different audience. It suggests the white walls of a gallery, rather than the cluttered wall of Facebook; a well-worn easel or carefully lit studio rather than a zig-zag Ikea mirror.

But aside from the difference in creators and set-ups, those classically postmodern differentiations of “high” and “low” art, the categories aren’t so different after all – or at least that’s what new show at London’s Saatchi Gallery suggests.

Entitled From Selfie to Self-Expression, the exhibition traces the history of capturing oneself in image from Old Masters works to today’s smartphone snaps. Among the artists featured are Kutluğ Ataman, Christopher Baker, Juno Calypso, Tracey Emin, Van Gogh, Mohau Modisakeng, Rembrandt, Cindy Sherman, Gavin Turk and Velazquez.

“In many ways, the selfie represents the epitome of contemporary culture’s transition into a highly digitalised and technologically advanced age as mobile phone technology has caught up with the camera,” said Saatchi Gallery CEO Nigel Hurst.

The show runs from 31 March – 30 May 2017.

George Harrison Taj Mahal Self- Portrait 1966 © Harrison Family

George Harrison Taj Mahal Self- Portrait 1966 © Harrison Family

Hillary Clinton Group Selfie © Barbara Kinney/Hillary for America

Hillary Clinton Group Selfie © Barbara Kinney/Hillary for America

Chuck Close Big Self-Portrait 1967-1968  © Chuck Close, courtesy Pace Gallery

Chuck Close Big Self-Portrait 1967-1968 © Chuck Close, courtesy Pace Gallery

Cindy Sherman, Untitled Film Still #21 1977 Courtesy of the artist and Metro Pictures, New York

Cindy Sherman, Untitled Film Still #21 1977 Courtesy of the artist and Metro Pictures, New York

Tracey Emin, I’ve Got It All 2000. Tracey Emin. All rights reserved, DACS 2016. Image courtesy of the White Cube

Tracey Emin, I’ve Got It All 2000. Tracey Emin. All rights reserved, DACS 2016. Image courtesy of the White Cube

Jellyfish Selfie © Cinzia Osele Bismarck

Jellyfish Selfie © Cinzia Osele Bismarck

Barack Obama selfie with Danish Prime Minister Courtesy ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images

Barack Obama selfie with Danish Prime Minister Courtesy ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images

Rembrandt van Rijn Self-Portrait with Two Circles c. 1665. Courtesy Kenwood House, Iveagh Bequest/English Heritage

Rembrandt van Rijn Self-Portrait with Two Circles c. 1665. Courtesy Kenwood House, Iveagh Bequest/English Heritage

Vincent Van Gogh Self-portrait with bandaged ear 1889.  © The Samuel Courtauld Trust, The Courtauld Gallery, London

Vincent Van Gogh Self-portrait with bandaged ear 1889. © The Samuel Courtauld Trust, The Courtauld Gallery, London

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