Anna Russett is a digital artist and creator based in the city of Chicago. She is well known for not only her art but her influence on the internet. Originally from Fort Wayne, Indiana, she grew up in a creative household. Both her parents are graphic artists and exposed her to photoshop and many different forms of media. Her younger sister is Andrea Russett, a YouTuber who became viral in her teenage years.
During her time at university, Anna began making a name for herself. In 2014, she graduated with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Photography, Film, Video, New Media & Animation from The School of the Art Institute. After university, Russett began her career as a creative director at Havas, an advertising and marketing media company. She even had the chance to do an exchange at the French Havas offices in Paris! During her time at Havas, she made sure to vlog her experiences and adventures.
In 2018, Anna and her then-partner, Nick Briz, created an interactive lecture at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. In this session, they investigated YouTube algorithms and aimed to rearrange the flow. Their project was called Current Tube, and it allows viewers to watch videos being uploaded in realtime. The artists were inspired by the weird and funny YouTube videos one often stumbles upon. Their aim was to resurrect how YouTube was before advertisements took over. This project received high praises and was apart of the I Was Raised on the Internet Exhibition.
On her personal YouTube, she uploads all different types of videos. From 5 Ways to Digitally Detox Without Unplugging to I bought the first 5 things Facebook recommended to me, she explores the internet. She also post personal videos such as my experience/review of online therapy and how to do you makeup while youre crying. Anna allows herself to be personal and vulnerable to her audience, something rare nowadays. Most social media influencers aim to establish a perfect lifestyle but Anna invites her followers into her personal world. This influence is refreshing and extraordinary.
Anna is passionate about young women and the digital world around her. She often hosts and organizes networking events all over the city. This past summer, she was apart of an event called “How to be on your phone and not hate everything”. At this community event, it was an open conversation about our relationships with our mobile devices. After our chat, we were matched with a new friend. I personally find Anna inspiring. Not only does she creates impressive art, but she also builds spaces for young women. She explores and exposes her ideas on the internet.
One of my personal favourite projects of hers is i heart instagram. In this photography project, Russett transforms herself into four different people. Each image is a unique version of herself or a caricature of someone else. She posted the photos on her personal Instagram and collected all the different types of comments. Around her self portraits, Instagram comments are dancing around her. The comments on each photo vary from observations to toxic, mean remarks. In one photo, she is dressed as her sister, Andrea, and in another image, she is dressed as a combination of the Olsen twins. This type of net art looks into how toxic social media can be. With her art, Russett creates conversations surrounding how one interacts behind a digital screen.
At the moment, she works as a social media influencer and independent strategist for brands. She has partnered with brands such as Nike and Dunkin’ Donuts. Anna has also spoken around the world, giving talks about her work and the internet. She is a wonderful example of a modern-day digital creator. Her work is political, beautiful and smart on and offline. To check out more about Anna Russett and her digital artwork, her links are down below!
GIF created by Christina Gutierrez
LINKS:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCywQ333VtkUZM83BsmY_yjQ
Christina Online 