The GIF has become the subject of an unlikely series of reinventions since its introduction in 1987 as a data format. Today the GIF is an important site of cultural and artistic expression, an established and pervasive moving image form defined in part by silence, brevity, shareability, and most importantly, the loop.

The GIF Elevator features newly commissioned GIFs by six artists, animators, and illustrators who represent some of the most important and influential GIF makers working today and whose practices represent a sample of the extraordinary breadth and diversity of the contemporary GIF. Each artist has created four original GIFs that will be presented as two-month installations on the walls and ceiling of the Museum’s elevator, an exhibition environment that offers a unique and intimate encounter with the work.