Blade Study

The internet is a dynamic, evolving thing. Viral. Much like an ancient myth. Or, come to think of it, a modern meme. Blade Study is where we go to see art that merges myth and meme-making in the age of the visual internet.

The gallery takes its name from a niche Weeb meme that spread on Tumblr, Reddit threads, and Discord chat rooms around 2016. Studying the blade is contemplative and tongue-in-cheek at the same time. It gives a little wink to those who cast aside childish things in pursuit of deeper callings.

The art here is made from Arduino-like boards, pharmaceutical equipment, papier-mâché, and, yes, even paint and canvas. All of it bursts with theories on anime, conspiracies, memes, physics, religion, substances, electronics, and the origin of the universe. To name a few.

When we step inside Blade Study’s tiny storefront and engage in a bit of intellectual swordplay (if you will), we emerge with a deep curiosity about, and a knowledge of, how the internet underpins, and sometimes overwrites, modern life.

Blade Study was founded in 2022 by Brooke Nicholas and Ian Glover to celebrate real-life digital adventurers. Brooke holds a Master’s degree in curatorial studies from Bard, and Ian is a coder-designer specializing in animation. Every show incorporates events, performances, or other programming that expands its reach like nodes in a graph.