Tag: Jeff Koons

A cultural history of the nude selfie

Published in BBC Culture March 19, 2021 

“Love, lust, pleasure, desire, beauty, anatomical study, self-expression, egotism… The impulses behind sending nudes are many. Creating nudes and sharing them seems to be part of human nature.” So begins Karla Linn Merrifield, in the first contribution to a new anthology entitled Sending Nudes. A collection of poems, stories and memoir on the subject, it takes a long hard look at the contemporary – and seemingly timeless – habit of sharing images of the naked human form.

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Art for Instagram – is social media ruining art?

Published in The Independent on July 14, 2016

Turning the corner in the London’s Newport Street Gallery, Damien Hirst’s latest venture, I’m met by a large, blue, shiny metal sculpture, a Jeff Koons balloon monkey. I’m also met by a bevy of cameras: the young couple comparing shots on their phones, the hipster dude with a SLR slung round his neck, a girl sorting her hair before snapping a selfie. Continue reading “Art for Instagram – is social media ruining art?”