NAC Artist Fellow Cassandra Zampini’s “Machine” on view at the National Arts Club starting February 2

Cassandra Zampini is a new media artist who transforms Internet content into print and video artworks to examine the role of media in shaping our understanding of the world and our place within it. In her new series, Machine, Zampini aggregates thousands of icons, images and texts from viral memes used as propaganda in current conflicts around the world, including Russia-Ukraine. She then isolates the figures and symbols, using repeating patterns and layers of ink, screen printed on canvas. The resulting composition is an abstract swarm of shapes and figures, devoid of their original message, but is a careful reminder of their omnipresence in our digital-first world. The work challenges the viewer’s perception of the meme as an accepted cultural language and truth, while raising awareness around the role of memes in modern conflict.