Masterpieces, Emojified
Masterpieces, Emojified: A Fine Art Collection at Stanford University’s Green Library
Did you know that fewer than 10% of the world’s most celebrated artworks are by women — and fewer than 5% are by Asian artists?
In response, I collaborated with Stanford University Green Library for World Emoji Day 2025 to create Masterpieces, Emojified — a collection of five large-scale fine art prints that remix iconic public domain artworks using emojis, including the 🧋boba tea emoji I helped design.
This series offers a joyful and reflective reimagining of who gets to be seen, included, and celebrated in art. It brings historical masterpieces into conversation with modern symbols of identity, culture, and emotion. From Mona Lisa sipping boba tea to The Great Wave carrying diverse surfer emojis, each piece invites viewers to see themselves reflected in works long held up as the gold standard of art history.
Installed at the entrance of Stanford’s main library, the Cecil H. Green Library, my artwork serves as a bridge between past and future, tradition and inclusion — welcoming every visitor with humor, warmth, and reflection.
1. The Secret Behind the Smile 🧋
Da Vinci’s icon meets a modern ritual.
A globally recognized symbol of Asian joy and belonging, the boba emoji softens the mystery of Mona Lisa — inviting everyday life into the frame of high art.
2. More Than One Pearl 🧋
A portrait, an earring, a drink — and a whole story.
This remix gives Vermeer’s quiet muse a modern twist with pearl milk tea, blending classical beauty with everyday comfort — because even timeless girls need their boba fix.
3. The Scream 😱 IRL
Where emoji meets existential crisis.
The 😱 emoji owes its life to Munch — and now it returns to the source. A full-circle remix of art history’s most relatable meltdown.
4. Group Chat Energy 💬
Matisse’s dancers meet emoji moods.
A swirl of color and feeling, this piece turns joyful movement into an emotional group thread — from 😍 to 😂.
5.The Great Wave Lifts All Surfers 🌊🏄🏻♀️🏄♂️🏄🏾
Hokusai reimagined with surfers of every shade.
This remix is both homage and update — celebrating a shared ride through turbulent beauty, where everyone belongs on the board.
Conclusion
Masterpieces, Emojified is more than a remix — it’s an invitation.
In a time when emojis have become one of the world’s most powerful visual languages, this series explores how they can connect past and present, East and West, high art and everyday life — across gender, race, culture, and language.
This series uses emojis to bring new perspectives into familiar masterpieces — across identities often left out of the frame.
It’s a playful reflection and deliberate intention on how art grows when more of us are included in the story.
Because when we make familiar things new, and new things familiar, art becomes not just more inclusive — but more fun, meaningful, and alive.
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Look Ma, these made it into the news! 😄
Catch the full story on ABC7 News 👇
https://abc7news.com/post/world-emoji-day-2025-meet-san-francisco-based-artist-behind-6-favorite-emojis/17170611/#
Copyright © 2025 Yiying Lu
