Everyone has an opinion about art, good and bad. But what if we told you of a kind of art that you'd be sure to love? Why? Because it would be you—you'd be the artwork. And where would you find such a masterpiece? At the Seattle Selfie Museum, that’s where.
Photograph: Aika Yokoyama
Located in Post Alley near Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle, the Seattle Selfie Museum is the brainchild of Alex Kurylin and Igor Benchak, a Denver-based duo who have already opened a Selfie Museum in the Mile-High City. And like that establishment, the Seattle venue offers a range of imaginatively decorated, vividly colored booths that serve as backdrops for your self-composed, self-commissioned self-portraits.
The tableaux include a room painted bright blue with an old-fashioned claw bathtub—complete with yellow-rubber duckies—surrounded by plastic balls resembling bubbles strewn across the floor (a neon sign on the wall above the tub reads K-BYE). There's also a yellow booth hung with rows of yellow gum ball machines filled with yellow gum balls. Elsewhere, there's an inflatable orange couch parked beneath another neon sign reading I CAN’T CONTROL MY SELFIE. Just next to it is a set of giant sushi rolls paired with equally large chopsticks.
Photograph: Aika Yokoyama
One could almost say that the selfie is the art medium of the 21st century, and indeed, it even factors prominently into the work of museum-league artists such as Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Rooms and Richard Prince’s appropriations (or rip-offs, if you prefer) of Instagram accounts. A Selfie Museum just cuts out the artist middleman.
Photograph: novacainephoto
So, satisfy your need for self-exposure to your heart's content. And when you're done, don't forget to check out our recommendations for the best Seattle has to offer, including coffee shops, bars, restaurants and things to do.