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Memes – an internet entertainment product that has emerged strongly in recent years – are one of the clearest representatives of the transformation of communication culture on social media.
Meme (/miːm/ pronounced "mim") is an abbreviation of the Greek word "Mimeme," used to explain the spread of cultural ideas and phenomena within a community. In 1976, Richard Dawkins included the word Meme in his book *The Selfish Gene* with a meaning similar to its original meaning. Today, the wordmemeIt is used by people on the Internet to refer to images with humorous or interesting content, stemming from a story or character that evokes certain emotions, recognized by many people and spread across various social media platforms.
When a camera accidentally captured the "disappointed face" of a fan in the stands, netizens decided to turn this person into a meme. (Image: Internet)
Photo: Facebook
Photo: Facebook
And it seems this Pakistani man was delighted that his image was used as a meme, printed on shirts, and even displayed in a Meme Exhibition. (Image: Internet)
Meme users probably never imagined that one day, all the "legendary" memes from the internet could enter the real world. Specifically, with the support of 9GAG, right at the K11 Art Shopping Center.K11 Art MallA meme exhibition is currently taking place in Hong Kong.
Upon entering the exhibition, you'll encounter familiar and amusing memes that have been shared widely on the internet, such as the image of Japanese singer Piko Taro with his catchphrase "pen - pineapple - apple - pen," or the photo of a Pakistani man with his hands on his hips, looking utterly dejected, as if "sulking" because his team missed a catch in a cricket match at the 2019 Cricket World Cup.
In addition to meme display areas, the exhibition also features a temporary tattoo printing service using a Prinker device, photo booths allowing you to create your own memes, a "4D interactive" zone to experience the feeling of memes "coming to life," and a carousel displaying comments related to popular meme images.
Here, there's also a vibrant "time tunnel" that takes viewers into the history of meme culture.
One of the highlights of this exhibition was 9GAG's first meme collage in the form of a string of NFT codes, which was auctioned for $25,000 (approximately 569 million VND) last July.
In 2018, there was an exhibition called Two Decades of Memes in New York, and in 2020, a similar meme exhibition took place in Chicago. However, organized by 9GAG, the Museum of Meme in Hong Kong is the world's first series of meme exhibitions that combines visual display with hands-on visitor experience and utilizes modern technology, giving viewers the feeling of being able to 'touch memes' in real life.
