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Instagrammable pop-ups are everywhere. What does that mean for art?

How Instagram is changing museums.

Christophe Haubursin
Christophe Haubursin was a senior producer for the Vox video team. Since joining the team in 2016, he has produced for Vox’s YouTube channel and Emmy-nominated shows Glad You Asked and Explained.

There’s a new style of art installation popping up in cities all over the world. It isn’t created to showcase classical paintings or to house impressive historical artifacts — it’s designed to be photographed for Instagram.

Summer 2018 alone has seen the opening of the Color Factory in New York City, the Egg House in Shanghai, and the Museum of Selfies in Los Angeles — not to mention the ones themed around pizza, candy, and rosé wine.

Though they often title themselves as such, these pop-up installations aren’t real museums. But they are a reflection of a real change happening in the museum world right now. In the age of Instagram, exhibits that photograph well perform well — and that’s reshaping how artwork is selected and how museums are designed.

Watch the video above to see how Instagram has redefined the museum experience, and subscribe to our YouTube channel to view all of our latest videos.

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