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 networks.
Meme (/miːm/ pronounced "mim") is an abbreviation of the Greek word "Mimeme", used to explain the spread of ideas and cultural phenomena within a community. In 1976, Richard Dawkins introduced the word Meme in his book The Selfish Gene with the same meaning as its original meaning. Today, the wordmemeis used by people on the Internet to refer to pictures that have humorous or interesting content, originating from a story or an emotionally evocative character, recognized by many people and spread on different social networking sites.
When the camera accidentally captured the "disappointed face" of a fan in the stands, netizens decided to turn this character into a meme. (Photo: Internet)
Photo: Facebook
Photo: Facebook
And it seems this Pakistani man is very happy that his image is used as a meme, printed on a shirt, and even displayed in the Meme Exhibition. (Photo: Internet)
Meme users probably didn't expect that one day, all the "legendary" memes on the internet could enter the real world. Specifically, with the support of 9GAG, right at the K11 Art shopping mall. (K11 Art Mall) of Hong Kong is holding an exhibition showcasing... memes.
Entering the exhibition, you will encounter familiar and interesting memes that have been shared all over the Internet, such as the image of Japanese singer Piko Taro singing "pen - pineapple - apple - pen", or the photo of a Pakistani man with his hands on his hips in a very bored manner, looking like he is "sulking" because his team missed a catch in a cricket match at the 2019 Cricket World Cup.
In addition to the meme display areas, the exhibition also features a fake tattoo printing service using the Prinker device, photo booths that let you create your own memes, a "4D interactive" area to experience the feeling when memes "come to life," and a carousel with comments related to famous meme images.
There is also a vivid "time tunnel" that takes viewers through the history of Meme culture.
One of the highlights of the exhibition was 9GAG's first NFT meme collage, which was auctioned for $25,000 last July.
In 2018, there was an exhibition called Two Decades Of Memes held in New York, and in 2020, a similar meme exhibition took place in Chicago. But, organized by 9GAG, the Museum of Meme in Hong Kong is the world's first series of meme photo exhibitions that combine exhibitions with visitors' real-life experiences and use modern technology, giving viewers the feeling of being able to 'touch memes' in real life.
