They say everything you put on the internet might eventually become part of the public forum — and one disturbed TikToker learned that the hard way after discovering a painting of his living room hanging in a London art gallery. (The Tiktoker does not live in London.)
In a video that’s been viewed over 1.2 million times, a TikToker named Hubie asks viewers if they live anywhere near Unit Gallery in London’s Mayfair neighborhood and if they’d be willing to do him a favor. (Hubie lives in the U.S.)
Hubie then switches the screen to show the gallery’s Instagram page that features an oil painting at an exhibition by the artist Mauro Martinez, claiming that the painting is an exact replica of his living room (sans a poster of K-Pop supergroup BTS).
@ps4homescreenmusic1 #greenscreen ♬ original sound – cool guy 420
“This doesn’t look real, this can’t be real,” he says, asking viewers if they can stop by the gallery to snap a photo of the display and sent it to him.
He then shows an actual photo of his living room setup, which is, in fact, the exact same image.
Viewers stopped by the gallery and confirmed that the painting was on display in the British gallery and featured on the gallery’s Instagram page.
“It’s very real,” one commenter wrote. “It’s by Maurio Martinez and it’s in his new series called ‘rate my setup’.”
The Rate My Setup series was inspired by a Reddit page where members will post photos of their video gaming setups, meant to be a commentary on “the lengths that people will go to in order to stay online” and “uncovers our dependence on convenience and our capacity to innovate, allowing space for both criticism and reflection.”
The painting, which he named “Threshold,“ was listed on Martinez’s personal website, directing interested buyers being able to request the price for purchase “upon request.” Many of the artist’s other works go for over $3,000.
Though Hubie did not clarify whether or not he had posted the original photo of his living room to the Reddit page, many commenters were under the impression that he must have, as Martinez often sources his art from the internet.
“This is Mauro Martinez,” another said. “He’s an artist originally from my city and he paints everything from the internet.”
Regardless, many viewers were still shaken by Hubie’s discovery.
“This would send me into psychosis,” one said bluntly.
“They could have at least invited you to the opening,” another joked.
Emily Rella
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