Steamed Hams

Beth Frey, DALL-E Marge Simpson, 2022. Digital image. Courtesy of the artist.

Gifs from RuPaul's drag race arranged like the central panel of Hans Memling's 16th century masterpiece 'The Last Judgement'

Xanthe Dobbie, still from 'Not Today Satan' from the series Heavenly Bodies (2014). Courtesty of the artist.

Arcade machine showing an indigenized version of the 'Oblivious Anime Guy' meme

Wuulhu, still from the 'Emergency Indigenous Meme Machine' (2019). Courtesy of the artist and Koffler Centre for the Arts, Toronto.

Woman tries on perfume with creepy masked man behind her

Cecelia Condit, still from Possibly in Michigan (1983). Courtesy of the artist.

Film still with words 'You Will Not Replace Us' over clip from Fight Club

Tiyan Baker, still from 'Hard As You Can' (2019). Courtesy of the artist.

News interview with Blue Stratos cologne on left and artist Matthew Griffin on right. The caption reads 'Australian Nans Shame Teens About Natural Body Odour And Lack Of Teen Spirit'

Matthew Griffin, still from 'Common Scents' (2020).

Digital image of older woman with arm for a nose caressing the forehead of a clown boy

Beth Frey, still from Sentient Muppet Factory (2022-23). Digital image. Courtesy of the artist.

Three sad clowns being interviewed by a news reporter with a small blue balloon

Beth Frey, still from Sentient Muppet Factory (2022-23). DALL-E generated digital image. Courtesy of the artist.

I hope you’re prepared for an unforgettable luncheon, because Steamed Hams is serving up a feast of cursed TikTok videos, Lindsay Lohan cameos, and sentient muppets. Examining the relationship between contemporary art and internet culture, this exhibition features a selection of New Zealand and international artists who offer dark and funny insights into how our worldview has been filtered through memes, fanfic, and viral videos.

Steamed Hams takes its title from an iconic sketch on a 1996 episode of The Simpsons, which in recent years has turned into a stubbornly ubiquitous internet meme. What began as a niche in-joke among fans has grown into a huge cultural phenomenon all its own, inspiring a seemingly endless stream of imaginative parodies, remixes and redubs.

The artists in this exhibition draw upon different modes of internet humour to examine what it means when these funny little nuggets of pop culture get lodged in the collective imagination. Positioning memes, AI art and viral videos in the same art historical tradition as Dada absurdism and ready-mades, Steamed Hams uses comedy to pose serious questions about culture, communication, and the role of artists in the digital age. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter whether or not you’re in on the joke—either way, it tells you something about your place in the tangled web of digital culture.

Featuring the work of Cecelia Condit, Beth Frey, Claire Harris, Tiyan Baker, Matthew Griffin, Xanthe Dobbie, Rohan Weallans, and Wuulhu.

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^{Beth Frey, still from Sentient Muppet Factory (2022-23). Digital image generated with DALL-E. Courtesy of the artist.}