#LolMood

Kezia Velista

2021

#LolMood by Kezia Velista is a series of 10 short video clips that explores the disembodiment between our digital bodies, how we present ourselves online, and the expression of our internal emotions. Velista argues that we present our digital bodies and online persona through the lens of entertainment, and this carries over to how we display our complicated internal feelings on social media. How can one express these complex feelings within the confines of 280 characters on Twitter, a caption underneath a photo on Instagram, or a 60-second video on TikTok and make it entertaining? Velista answers that we do so by minimizing and flattening our feelings through the use of hashtags and internet slang such as “mood,” “lol,” and “dead.”

Through the investigation of a smartphone, Velista opens up a discussion on the performative aspects of social media such as TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram. The exploration of these topics is facilitated and created using a smartphone and readily available phone screen capturing and video editing app.

Artist Bio

Kezia Velista is a multidisciplinary artist and writer based in New York City. She was born in Jakarta, Indonesia and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. She started taking pictures at the age of 12 and has had pleasure of working alongside photographers like Krisandra Evans and Ryan McGinley. In her art and writing, she is particularly interested in exploring themes related to intimacy and human connection.

Currently, Kezia is obtaining her B.A in English literature at Baruch College of CUNY.

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