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“Studies in Visual Arts and Communication – an international journal”Volume 12 – Nr 2, 2025 |
Table of Contents
Dec 2025; 12(2)
1. Eduardo J. M. Camilo
Selfie and Digital Self-Presentation: A Multidimensional Approach
Studies in Visual Arts and Communication – an international journal / Dec 2025 12(2)
ABSTRACT
This essay analyzes the selfie as a symbolic practice that articulates multiple dimensions of historical, semiotic, sociological, and artistic specificity. Distinct from traditional self-portraits—whether painted or photographic—the selfie is configured as a communicative act that both reflects and transforms the processes of identity construction in the digital age.
Historically, it evolved from a form of pictorial, photographic, or digital self-representation as an experimental image with webcams to a mode of digital self-presentation on social networks. Semiotically, its specificity reveals a dual dimension: it is an enunciated image – a self-portrait conceived as a communicative act – which simultaneously makes visible the very conditions of its enunciation, evident in the extended-arm gesture of its production.
Sociologically, it functions as a ritual of digital self-presentation mediated by filters and editing modalities, where notions of “authenticity” are negotiated under the influence of platform algorithms like those of Instagram.
Artistically, it is inscribed in practices of sociocultural reflection and critique of contemporaneity, as demonstrated in the works of artists such as Cindy Sherman and Amalia Ulman.
In this article, we argue that selfies function as a paradoxical device. They are digital images representing self-presentation practices that coexist with both technological and sociocultural constraints. Consequently, the selfie emerges not merely as an individual performance, but also as a reflection of tensions between production technologies and online norms of representation and publication. This reveals how digital culture has transformed self-representation into an act that is simultaneously intimate and public, free and regulated.
Keywords: selfie, digital self-presentation, contemporary self-Portrait, social media and identity, digital performativity.
2. Laze Tripkov
Contemporary challenges of establishing a Virtual Poster in VR environments
Studies in Visual Arts and Communication – an international journal / Dec 2025 12(2)
ABSTRACT
This study examines the evolving role of virtual reality (VR) in multimedia art, emphasizing its ability to bridge traditional artistic methodologies with emerging digital innovations. Rather than functioning solely as a technological tool, VR emerges as a transformative medium, where materiality, perception, and meaning converge, expanding the possibilities for artistic exploration and audience engagement. A central case study in this research is The Virtual Poster project, which operates as a hybrid form that integrates multimedia, interactivity, and immersive VR experiences, merging physical and virtual environments. This project reimagines the historical and linguistic heritage of the Glagolitic Alphabet, translating abstract cultural symbols into visually dynamic, interactive spaces, positioning cultural identity as fluid and continuously evolving within digital narratives.
Furthermore, this research critically examines how VR and emerging digital tools enhance accessibility, collaboration, and storytelling complexity. By synthesizing principles of contemporary art with advanced VR technologies, the study highlights the immersive potential of digital art in reshaping narrative structures and participatory experiences. Advocating for a balanced integration of VR into artistic practice, this paper underscores the importance of preserving traditional artistic values while expanding creative possibilities through digital innovation. In addressing gaps in VR art theory and practice, this research contributes to the ongoing discourse on the evolution of contemporary artistic methodologies, positioning VR as a critical space for innovation at the intersection of art, technology, and cultural reinterpretation.
Keywords: hybrid experience, multimedia environments, artistic shift, virtual reality poster, immersion.
3. Abdellatif Nouayti
Analyse sémiologique augmentée : lecture croisée, humaine et assistée par intelligence artificielle, d’une œuvre abstraite de Jilali Gharbaoui
Studies in Visual Arts and Communication – an international journal / Dec 2025 12(2)
RÉSUMÉ
Cet article propose une analyse croisée, à la fois méthodologiquement innovante et épistémologiquement signifiante, de la toile Sans titre (1965) de Jilali Gharbaoui, figure centrale de la peinture abstraite marocaine post-indépendance ; en articulant une approche sémiologique traditionnelle, issue d’une lecture humaine, à une modélisation assistée par intelligence artificielle (ChatGPT Plus), il s’agit de faire émerger une grille interprétative hybride, enrichie par la confrontation de deux systèmes de lecture.
L’analyse humaine s’appuie à la fois sur les outils de la sémiologie de l’image, de l’histoire de l’art moderne et de la pensée postcoloniale ; elle met ainsi en lumière l’expressivité gestuelle, la subjectivité picturale et la charge existentielle de la composition, révélant une tension intérieure traduisant la quête identitaire de l’artiste, marquée par l’exil et la souffrance. Tandis que matière, geste et couleur traduisent une énergie chaotique, ils manifestent aussi une volonté de rupture esthétique, et ils s’inscrivent dans un élan profondément introspectif.
En parallèle, l’intelligence artificielle génère une lecture descriptive, fondée sur la reconnaissance de régularités formelles et sur la comparaison stylistique ; elle détecte des structures, classe des motifs et neutralise certains biais, sans toutefois effacer la densité expressive de l’image. Ainsi, elle propose une autre manière de voir : plus distanciée, mais non dénuée de pertinence.
Le croisement entre regard humain et modélisation algorithmique suscite, dès lors, une intelligence interprétative enrichie, qui ouvre la voie à une lecture transdisciplinaire de l’art, tout en questionnant l’usage critique des technologies dans les sciences humaines.
Mots clés: intelligence artificielle, sémiologie, peinture abstraite, Jilali Gharbaoui, humanités numériques.