Emoticonostasis, 2018

Digital photograph with emoji-based digital collage and glitch manipulation, archival pigment print on paper – 1058 x 846

Emoticonostasis by Bónyai Barbara is a radical reinterpretation of the self-portrait, in which elements of digital visual culture – namely Instagram-style emojis and stickers – are integrated into a symbolic language that evokes both folk ornamentation and sacred iconography. The work explores not only the representation of the female body and face but also the contemporary visual sanctuaries shaped by digital platforms and social media aesthetics.

At its core lies a photograph of the artist’s face, upon which she has composed a decorative arrangement using emoji motifs – flowers, flames, and ornamental shapes – selected not for their emotive function but for their chromatic and formal qualities. These digital elements are transformed into a vibrant visual architecture reminiscent of bridal adornments, folk ceremonial headwear, or the richly embellished garb of devadasis. Rendered in hues of pink, orange, red, yellow, white, and light blue, the decorative motifs glow against a deep bluish-black background, creating a halo-like composition that recalls traditional religious portraits.

The title Emoticonostasis is a neologism merging emoticon with iconostasis, the ornate icon wall found in Eastern Orthodox churches. This linguistic fusion reflects the conceptual tension within the image: the secular, hyper-contemporary icons of digital culture occupy the visual space traditionally reserved for the sacred. The resulting figure appears as a hybrid of digital bride, folkloric avatar, and pop saint – an ethereal yet glitched vision of femininity constructed through pixels, noise, and nostalgia.

Glitch manipulation plays a pivotal role not just in the visual form but in the philosophical depth of the piece. Rather than signifying digital decay, the glitches function as metaphors for imperfection, instability, and the layered processes of identity formation in a media-saturated age. The noise and distortion do not destroy the ornamental structure but rather reveal its fragility and artificiality – transforming aesthetic decoration into critical reflection.

By using decorative emojis as compositional elements and disrupting them through glitch aesthetics, Bónyai creates a “damaged icon,” one that speaks simultaneously to beauty and distortion, transcendence and fragmentation. Emoticonostasis becomes a digital altar of identity – simultaneously reverent and ironic, intimate and universal.

This work exemplifies Bónyai’s broader artistic inquiry into the intersections of personal mythology, digital symbolism, and feminist visual strategies. It challenges the boundaries between the sacred and the superficial, inviting the viewer to contemplate how ornament, error, and embodiment coalesce in the construction of contemporary selfhood.