Corners of the Capital: National Selfie Gallery

What do we want? SELFIES! When do we want them? ALWAYS! 

What can I say, we're a generation that loves a cheeky self portrait. Nothing better than catching yourself on a good face day at the right angle and being able to show all your peers how fabulous you look. There just isn't, don't fight me on this one. One dares not to think of how we all survived without the front facing camera. In fact, one dares not to think about how we got on without phones, camera and technology at all! FEAR NOT. They did get on without them and they were still able to show off their fabulous faces to all their peers and colleagues the same- in painting form!
I'm talking about the ancestor of the beloved selfie, the self portrait! Where better to go and marvel and worship our love for anything face than at the National Portrait Gallery in good ol' London town.

(Source:  ART X SMART by Kim Dong-kyu- super talented artist, check 'em out)

Admittedly, this analogy doesn't completely work because they're mostly not self portraits, but they're faces nonetheless. Faces that would have commissioned to capture good angles, had a cheeky bit of paintbrush-airbrushing and changed a few bits photoshop style but on canvas. Sound like anything we know? Of course, we all know it too well.

If you wander your butt upstairs at the gallery you'll find the more historical sections or, if you choose to see it that way, the section where all the selfies have the used the sepia instagram filter. Nothing looks more dramatic than the muted tones of history. Plus with no other media or technology available to help create the pieces, y'all know the person had to sit in front of the artist for hours upon hours to get the painting right. Now, I know the perfect selfie can take a while to find, apparently it takes up around 16 minutes of your day, but sitting for an old school portrait is full on dedication. We salute you!

(Source:  ART X SMART by Kim Dong-kyu)

If the stairs don't take your fancy stay downstairs for the more up-to-date section, which is up-to-date with the latest selfie trends, don't ya know. Don't deny it, we've all tried to take that perfect seflie, the one where you pretend to be asleep like 'The bae caught me sleeping again...' (bae = before anyone else) ((obvs)). You've tried it, I've tried it, admitting is the first step. Well, that pretty good looking fella from the football (eww), David Beckham, has one-upped us.  Massive thanks to Sam Taylor-Wood (that same director who is bringing us 50 shades galore!), we get to see David Beckham sleeping, in real-time. The piece originally called 'David' is quite the sight to behold. Everybody crack out your tripods and have a go at a full on sleep selfie video.

Source: www.pinterest.com/pin/33495590951975921/

How far would you go to capture the essence of you? Winner for the most dedicated selfie ever has to go to Marc Quinn. What's Marc done that we haven't? I hear you asking... You may have dedicated much of your life to finding your perf angle but this guy, this guy Marc Quinn, has created the ultimate three dimensional blood portrait of himself, usefully titled 'Self'. Eight pints of his own blood and liquid silicone, yummy. He even has to update it with more blood every now and again. Go check that out, it's bloody brilliant (I couldn't help myself).

© Marc Quinn. Photography by Todd-White Art Photography, courtesy White Cube, London

Imagine a time before the front-facing camera existed, I know it's difficult. But there was a time when any good selfie had to be taken in the mirror, creating the selfie-ception effect. (If you're struggling to remember, go look on your old Myspace and I'm sure you'll find what I'm talking about. This year's BP Portrait Award houses the painting equivalent of just that! It's all paint-ception in Tim Hall's painting 'Henrietta and Ollie'.

Henrietta and Ollie by Tim Hall, 2014
© Tim Hall

So yeah, visit the National Portrait (Selfie) Gallery to really feel the history of making face. On a serious note, this year's BP Portrait Exhibition is super amazing and will make you question the ability of your own hands! It's genuinely one of my favourite spots in London and you'll often find me wasting hours, peacefully walking around taking it all in. The latest BP exhibition is open until 21st of September so try to visit before it's over, it's free!! Go and do it because I said so.