Artist creates Mona Lisa from 100 iPhone replicas

When was the last time you pulled out your phone at a concert or museum?

For Birmingham-based artist Imbue, the "sea of iPhones" that blocked his sight of the Mona Lisa was a real disappointment when he visited the Louvre in Paris.

The experience inspired him to recreate the portrait using 100 iPhone replicas, highlighting how people can travel across the world only to view artwork through a screen.

"Everyone wants to capture moments and they don't want to miss out on the memory but they end up missing out what's happening by using their phone," he said.

The 37-year-old spent months creating the project by printing the famous portrait on to laser-cut panels and placing them inside phone cases.

"I'm not trying to hammer something home but I think people will smile and get the idea of experiencing things for real rather than looking through your phone," he said.

Imbue, who shares his creations with more than 90,000 followers on social media, said he had loved art since he was a child.

"I've always loved building things with my hands, it used to be Lego and cardboard boxes and art was the only subject I was good at."

Now, he has been a full-time artist for nearly 20 years and is hosting his latest exhibition in Digbeth, Birmingham - in which the Mona Lisa work features - until 10 July.

Named Lost All Meaning, it aims to highlight how developments in AI and social media has made people appreciate artwork less as it becomes more "throwaway".

"People want to see things and go to destinations so they can take a photo rather than being there for what it is," he said.

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