in defense of Miku Binder Jefferson
“Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable” — Cesar A. Cruz
Miku Binder Jefferson by Unbrony is a character sheet of the character and historical figure Thomas Jefferson from the musical Hamilton, but in the artist’s imagined alternate universe in which Jefferson is a queer college student. In classic character sheet fashion, the piece has a split composition. On the right, Thomas Jefferson is depicted as a waist-up figure with curly, purple hair, a pink bandana, a grey sweater that says “I MET GOD. SHE’S BLACK”, and most importantly, a chest binder with a Hatsune Miku pattern. The left half of the piece contains information about this character, such as their gender, LGBTQIA+ flags, height, age, and facts about their personality and life. In summary, Miku Binder reimagines specifically the Broadway musical Hamilton’s adaptation of the very real Founding Father and former U.S. president Thomas Jefferson as a transmasc, bisexual, bilingual, drug dealer, tattoo artist, k-pop fan, furry, university student studying art education.
Miku Binder Jefferson indeed disturbs the comfortable — that is, it disturbs the established notions of art. The piece was an instant controversy, from its gender-bending and race-swapping of Thomas Jefferson to the strangely specific details (i.e. the highlighting of Jefferson’s binder design). Beyond the complaints about Miku Binder from within the fan group in which the work was intended to reside, it eventually became a known piece in the greater internet community. Now, the image is infamous.
Because of the sheer popularity and discourse Miku Binder Jefferson inspired, I argue that it is one of the greatest works of art that distinguishes and defines the subset of visual internet art with overwhelming clarity. Miku Binder Jefferson is perhaps an extreme example of the kind of visual art that is uniquely produced in online communities, but it embodies four elements I use to define internet art.
Principles of Internet Art (not exclusive):
1. Character creation and world-building
2. References to existing media
3. Illustrative visual style
4. Created with the intention of being viewed on the web
Character creation and world-building
“To create one’s own world takes courage.” — Georgia O’Keeffe
My biggest interest as an artist is creating imaginary worlds. Ever since the beginning of my forays into art-making, I was interested in inventing fantastical, alternate realities in my mind as a form of escapism from the quite frankly, boring reality we are limited to. Visual art particularly was my method of sharing my ideas of imaginary worlds for others to also be immersed in.
In general, art strives to do this — to place a viewer into the artist’s world for a moment. Whether the piece communicates a world like our physical reality or whether it’s more fantastical or theoretical, art transports; it shifts our perspective and removes us from our understood reality temporarily.
After being involved on various social platforms and communities since c.2014, I have found that character-based artwork is the basis of art communities unique to online spaces. Circling back to my muse, Miku Binder Jefferson, the piece is an alternate universe character concept by the user — that is, a re-imagined context for an existing character.
In response to hate comments on Unbrony’s work, they stated the following:
“on instagram earlier, i got so much hate for drawing thomas jefferson in a modern setting, and, transgender. i turned off comments, figuring it’d solve the problem. someone dmd me, saying that i was romanticizing a man who owned slaves, even though he’s a fictional representation of a real person that’s been dead hundreds of years now. and it’s an au. lin himself has said that hamilton is a retelling of “america THEN” by “america NOW”, so it’s only right we get representation for everyone.” (Fanlore).
Unbrony’s argument highlights a fundamental reason for character art’s grasp on online communities. The ability to create something tangible from internal feelings and thoughts is one of humanity’s greatest powers. Creating and experiencing other’s creations is one of the joys of life. The power to create is one of the few things that cannot be taken away in a world where so much can be stripped from a person. Visual art is one of many mediums where an individual can create any reality they can imagine. In many cases, a reality in which they are completely free to be anything, not limited by societal pressures, physical disadvantages, or impossibilities. In creating avatars or imagined characters in which we can project our consciousness onto, character creation is a way to enter an ideal reality. The process of creating an avatar with traits that the artist identifies with is therapeutic in nature. Creating stories with these characters is a way in which artists may fulfill a desire that their reality may not allow.
This desire to feel understood and accepted has manifested, well, Miku Binder Jefferson. As Unbrony suggests, the revamping of a well-known historical figure-turned-musical character to be inclusive to marginalized identities is an attempt to create representation.
In my current arts practice, I am always considering the concept of original avatars. Akin to my younger self’s exploration of OCs (original characters), I make “sonas” that capture different parts of my reality I wish were different, and parts of myself I cannot necessarily manifest physically. The notion of characters comes across in a variety of ways, but the sentiment stays the same. Even with art that appears amateur, exaggerated, and “cringe”, it all is doing the same thing: acting as a vessel for the artist to impress themselves upon and for others to empathize with.
References to existing media
“gerard way personally witnessed the twin towers falling while on a ferry to new york city. this event inspired him to start my chemical romance. as a result, stephanie meyer used him and the band’s music for inspiration for twilight. as a result of that book, el james wrote a twilight fanfic that eventually became the best selling book fifty shades of grey.” — @anthonycrowley
The internet fosters a unique environment where millions of ideas constantly intermingle. Social media platforms thrive by encouraging the recycling of content through mechanics such as reposting and sharing posts with links. Like the nature of its home, internet art tends copy bits of media and paste it into their unique own contexts.
Fan art is visual art using existing media. While there are many instances of fan art that exist only for the fan base to enjoy new scenarios apart from what has officially been produced by the original creators, there exists work that draws obvious inspiration from existing media yet is entirely distinct in its creative vision.
Fan art is made for the purpose of imposing the artist’s own style onto a concept that they already have an attachment with, and for the purpose of sharing this attachment with others with similar feelings.
Other works more so appropriate media material, but do not exist simply as a praise of the source like fan art does. They change or imagine a new context for existing characters. If not drawing from inspirations explicitly, many works are entirely unique but were inspired somehow by previous media. I place an importance on fan media as a common reference and inspiration in internet visual culture because it is the driving force behind the existence of a distinct aesthetic and theme of internet art.
Although the influence of popular culture may be seen more clearly in internet art than other genres, that does not mean it should be reduced to all being mere fan content. Fan art is somewhat of a dirty word in the world of fine art — pieces that bear a resemblance to animated media is assumed to be fan art and therefore disregarded as a serious example of artistic expression and content. Few other mediums of art are subject to this judgement. Books are constantly being adapted into films, yet the film is viewed in its own regard apart from the source material. Musicians sample from extant music, and even cover other artist’s songs with little change, yet they are no less respected than completely original compositions. In this regard, I argue for internet art’s use of existing media to be viewed not as fan behavior or unoriginal, but as a conscious choice to express identification with the source material and a desire to expand on what exists. If we were to hold all creators (filmmakers, writers, and musicians included) to this standard of derived ideas being somehow less valuable than purely original ones, we would not have much art at all.
Illustrative visual style
“Art does not reproduce what we see; rather, it makes us see.” — Paul Klee
I note the visual style of internet art because it tends to be like that of interactive media. This says two things about the nature of internet art. 1) Internet art is a response to media and 2) Internet art is interested in fantasy rather than imitating reality.
The internet serves as a community center for fan groups, or fandoms. It enables a centralized place for fans to discuss their media of choice, and by proxy, share creations inspired by said media. Continuing my previous point on the obvious influence of media on the content of internet art, the general gravitation towards illustrative visual style is a result of the content also being narrative. Although an immense range of personal styles exist among the artists of the internet, many tend to fall under a cartoonish aesthetic. The result is art most adjacent to styles used in concept art for animations, games, or comics.
So, illustrative visual style is most often seen in media like video games, animated films, and comics. This has led to the style being perceived as commercial illustration. Illustration and fine art work quite differently. Illustration is art that intends to convey a specific visual narrative to be consumed as entertainment or commercial (i.e. manga, storyboards, picture books, advertisements). At this point, I distinguish art that appears cartoonish to embody an “illustrative” visual style, as opposed to simply being an illustration. Although this is my definition of illustration as a visual style versus illustration as content, the difference between commercial art, narrative art, and fine art remains discussed.
What does using an illustrative visual style do? Besides being a by-product of artists surrounded by fandoms of illustrated media, there are some formal reasons one may decide to use the style. The most obvious takeaway from graphic art is that it does not look real. This instantly places the content of the piece into its own dimension. This fantasy dimension enables the artist to convey imagined creatures, forms, characters, etc. with much more freedom than if they attempted the same concept while adhering to realism. The result is art that is completely imaginary yet believable within the free-reign context an illustrative style provides.
Created with the intention of being viewed on the web
“Art is too important not to share” — Romero Britto
All internet art can be unified by one principle: it is created to be viewed online. The space in which an artwork exists completely drives the way in which it is perceived. The “white box” of a gallery aims to limit bias towards work on display, yet it pushes a certain mystique that is unavoidable. Place anything in the gallery setting and it will be viewed as art. Similarly, remove any valuable work and place it on a streetside curb and it will be regarded as garbage. What happens when you place work on the internet?
Virtual platforms are overflowing with content. Displaying an art image alongside a meme in a social media feed instantly devalues it. Art becomes content. This is a substantially negative effect to the perception of internet art.
The internet isn’t entirely a spam-filled “gallery” for artists to share their work. Artists may share to the web to connect with a specific community they are a part of, which reaches more people than traditional galleries or institutions ever will. The web is the most accessible platform for art consumption in the world. It has no white walls, entrance fees, or geographic location.
Traditional galleries are far from accessible, but they do hold one advantage over digital galleries: they allow viewers to experience the aura of art. The aura of art, as coined by Walter Benjamin in his landmark essay The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, is the authenticity and locale of a piece. The manner in which to experience the aura of a piece of art is to see the physical object in the time and location in which it was created. The aura is what gives art its power. According to Benjamin, the physical art object will always have more of an aura than a reproduction, or image.
Although the internet has democratized access to art, the cost is its perceived aura. Internet art is unique in this sense, though. I suggest that it is perhaps the only genre of art to overcome the mythology of aura since its digital form is the original and therefore the “purest” form of itself. Internet art was never created to be viewed in a gallery at all. It was made for the broader audience of internet users, fellow members of a community, as pixels on a screen.
Internet art’s place in discussions on visual culture
“my ultimate artist goal is to have a cat girl drawing in a serious fine arts gallery” — willowred
My aim in my thinking of internet art is to propose greater critical analysis of this subset of art. The art I see online moves me. It inspires me to create my own art. This is the visual art that resonates with me most, yet it is absent from institutions and discussions. There is already a very thin window of art that can make it into galleries and museums, but the window is evidently completely shut to art that is posted online. The internet democratizes fame. It offers a chance for anyone to gain an audience without the use of powerful institutions. However, this democratization has not yet influenced the broader thought of what fine art is. The definition is certainly unclear and constantly questioned, but even Marcel Duchamp’s found-object piece Fountain is now unanimously discussed in the arts field despite it being made to challenge previous notions of fine art. Why is it then, that Miku Binder Jefferson will most likely not reach this point of consideration as a work of fine art?
Character art has existed outside of the online context for as long as art history. Religious art with bible characters is some of the highest regarded pieces in the world. This viewpoint generally does not translate to the perception of the character art that is regularly posted online.
Appropriation of images is a prevalent technique in revered artists such as Andy Warhol, yet artwork that utilizes “fan” material is disregarded as simply fanart despite the existence of content.
Web art has been established in various institutional settings and is the subject of discussion in the topic of visual culture on the internet. Yet, the kind of work that is referred to as “web art” is completely distinct from what I have been defining as “internet art”. Web art is also created with the intention of being viewed online on a device, but it often means it uses the web as a medium. That is, a website is the artwork or essential to experiencing of the artwork. Internet art on the other hand, is created for the audience of the internet, but does not use web technologies or concepts in its execution.
Miku Binder Jefferson takes advantage of the principles that distinguish digital internet art to the fullest. It is an, in my opinion, a wonderfully absurd example the clashing of references, culture, and ideologies that the internet fosters. With its international “meme” status, the piece is also more widely recognized than most critically analyzed examples of web art.
Many online artists make it evident they create work they simply find cute, cool, and fun to make. Even if the intent of the artist is not to make a statement, to express any sort of idea, and rather to simply create an aesthetic image that brings joy to the artist and viewers, these works contribute to the visual language of the internet. Any contributions to a greater art movement should be studied, valued, and discussed as a part of this larger movement.
Sources:
https://fanlore.org/wiki/Miku_Binder_Thomas_Jefferson
https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-rise-fall-internet-art-communities
Steyerl, Hito. The Spam of the Earth: Withdrawal from Representation. The Wretched of the Screen, pp. 160–173.
Olsen, Marisa. Lost Not Found: The Circulation of Images in Digital Visual Culture. Mass Effect, pp. 159–165.
Benjamin, Walter. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.
O’Doherty, Brian. Inside the white cube: The ideology of the gallery space.
