First Advisor

Alberto McKelligan-Hernández

Date of Award

6-16-2021

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Art History and University Honors

Department

Art + Design

Language

English

Subjects

Artists -- New York (State) -- New York -- Criticism and interpretation, Art -- 21st century, Memes

DOI

10.15760/honors.1074

Abstract

This thesis analyzes the artistic processes of Zardulu the Mythmaker, an anonymous internet figure whose viral art expands upon the language of online hoaxes and media sensationalism to create mythologies that encapsulate the present. Recent scholarship has proposed a shift away from "the contemporary" in art, as its constant efforts toward innovation and detachment from discipline perpetuates the current culture of anxiety. Zardulu's art practice offers a unique separation from the boundaries of contemporary art, which is examined in this thesis through her use of ancient myth-making techniques and the medium of internet virality. Furthermore, this thesis presents Zardulu's methodology as a means of re-orienting the anxieties of the post-truth age and connecting to a collective human experience that has been obscured by the absolutes of the contemporary.

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Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/35699

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