Vita Kari on the ‘Viral Storm’, Art on Social Media and the Vast Internet Universe

Words: Charlotte Landrum

Make it stand out

“I think a lot about being in the eye of the viral storm,” artist Vita Kari says. The Los Angeles artist is invested in both exploring how we consume the internet, and breaking the sameness of doomscroll. From their viral “the craziest thing” videos – which see them trying to surprise you out of the monotony of your algorithm – to their immersive, IRL VITAWOOD space in LA, they’re committed to showing how queer, diasporic art can offer something out of the ordinary.

We spoke to them about bringing the cadence of the internet into real life, the keys to virality, and more:

When did the concept of ‘the craziest thing about being creative’ videos first come to you? 

I experimented with different types of Illusions online – I'm a huge consumer of short-form media. I'm obsessed with videos that really push my idea of what I'm looking at, asking me to look deeper at what I'm consuming. I get lost with videos of paintings that are as they appear or visuals that require more intentional re-watch. There were a couple of other types of videos I made before I came to “the craziest thing" series. The moment finally came when, after spending hours painting a fake hand and pretending to apply makeup with it, I decided to print one out instead. I was blown away by how easy it was and how real it looked on camera. In addition, anyone could follow the formula to make their own version! 

What's the story behind ‘My Grandmother’s American Dream?’ 

I use the bedazzled Burger as a standin to trace my Grandmother’s immigration to the US and how I navigate space now that she’s gone. The burger – a hilarious, glamorous, cringey and problematic American symbol – was my grandmother's first food in the US. This piece pulls from diasporic kitsch and pushes questions of what my Grandma may have seen America as before she moved here, facing harsher realities. 

You talk about the absurdity of social media and the virality power dynamics - How do you find being in the midst of this. Being the artist, the creator and the spectacle all at once? 

I think a lot about being in the eye of the viral storm. The consumption of the body, while getting lost and replicated across the vast internet universe, is both a beautiful and complicated fever dream. I think ultimately any performer, especially bridging the gap between the digital and physical worlds, navigates several elements. It’s a space where you are starting a dialogue, existing as a dialogue, and the dialogue becoming bigger than yourself. Honestly, I've been loving the ride and I'm absolutely here for it. I'm so excited to see where it goes! 

Your ‘craziest thing about being creative’ videos hit every time, it seems like you have found a formula that always works for virality - Why do you think people love it so much? 

First of all, thank you so much! This is a simple structure to virality that was defined way before I started making videos on TikTok, which is making a video that's between 7 to 15 seconds–you wanna start with the hook and then a reveal. I think the thing that continues the dialog of a shifting reality and where the diehard viewership comes from is: It's both impersonal and hyperpersonal. It exists between the space where anybody can join in at any time, but for those who've been following along, they know about the sinister story line lingering in the background. If they've been following long enough, they know not only our elements of Illusion printed out, but there are moments where they're watching me, as the artist, being literally trapped in different mediums of advertising technology, both on and offline. 

Who are some of your favorite artists on TikTok at the moment? 

There's so many to name but some of my absolute favorites are @art_p3rry, @brettpaint, @andrewcadima, @hayleylaneart, @chonkyofficial, @evianxlucy and so many others 

Your videos - with the bright light, intense stare, and surreal concept - is a contrast to a lot of mindless content that puts you in a scrolling-trance. Do you hope your work snaps viewers out of this, like the unexpected nature is a nudge to make the TikTok user aware of what they are watching, and what they are actually doing? 

A lot of my video work centers around the Doomscroll and offers an interruption to the consumption of online media. I find myself with an absurd amount of intake hours logged in terms of videos I watch daily–so much of it inspires me but at a certain point I get lost in a loop. The videos I create are a disruption– there's no point where text should be printed out on screen, but that's what the videos offer, a reason to pause and step back and examine the fact you are, in fact, viewing a screen. My goal is, even for just a moment, to send viewers into a moment of somatic awareness and pause. 

With ‘Trapped in a Billboard’ you took your video work in the real world for passers by to see - but in ‘Trapped in a Can’ you really went all in for the IRL, claustrophobic looking performance outside Art Basel. What was it like being so open and quite vulnerable in public? 

Being so open was one of the most life-changing experiences I've had. Hundreds and thousands of comments still can't prepare you for the real thing of being confronted with a real person with genuine emotions and questions about your work. The audience participation was super intimate as much of it was physical. That involved people getting close to my body and at times it was hilarious and at other moments it felt borderline scary or violent. I left learning so much about human empathy and sometimes the boundaries that blur when you put yourself in a position like that. 

Vitawood looked so fun. How was it being in such a stunning space surrounded by creatives? 

I strongly believe that community is everything when it comes to an art practice. Because of the support I received at that time, in such a generative space, I feel it has led to so many incredible ideas and opportunities in my life and the lives of people I love/feel inspired by. I’m incredibly privileged to be surrounded by artists of all types from all walks of life, and at Vitawood it felt like a true collaborative effort, in terms of keeping the doors open, and figuring out how to run the space. The biggest thing I walked away with learning is it takes a team, and in the future I hope to reopen the space, I now know how to make it thrive! 

Do you have any projects in the works at the moment? Tell us about what’s next in 2024! 

I'll be doing another public performance, similar to Trapped in a Can, but this time in New York City during Fashion Week. I'll be devouring Burgers attached to my own body, representing consumption. I'll also be offering the same burgers for free to those that walk by. This piece builds on the last performance, and will also tie in themes from “My Grandma's American Dream.” I'll be wearing a handmade Burger headpiece, each burger uniquely adorned with patterns found on my grandmother's clothing. The piece holds space for the consumption of the memetic and how that functions for the queer body. In addition, my solo exhibition for my MFA thesis at Otis College of Art and Design opens March 28th! It will be a marriage of my digital and physical self, and absolutely something not to miss. I don't want to speak too much but I have a lot of really exciting things planned!

Photography: Jasmine Hernandez Sanchez