The GIF Elevator

The GIF has become the subject of an unlikely series of reinventions since its introduction in 1987 as a data format. Today the GIF is an important site of cultural and artistic expression, an established and pervasive moving image form defined in part by silence, brevity, shareability, and most importantly, the loop. The GIF Elevator features newly commissioned GIFs by six artists, animators, and illustrators who represent some of the most important and influential GIF makers working today: Mr. Div (Matthew DiVito), Dain Fagerholm, Render Fruit (Clara Luzian), Lorna Mills, Paul Robertson, and Rafia Santana. Their practices represent a sample of the extraordinary breadth and diversity of the contemporary GIF. Each artist has created four original GIFs that will be presented as two-month installations on the walls and ceiling of the Museum’s elevator, an exhibition environment that offers a unique and intimate encounter with the work. The GIFs will be published on GIPHY and this webpage to coincide with the opening of each installation.

Organized by Jason Eppink, Curator of Digital Media.

The GIF Elevator is made possible by support from GIPHY Arts.