Home / Art

Surreal Gifs Playfully Visualize Exploring Our Inner Minds

Surreal Gifs by Agatha Yu

Gifs typically last just a few seconds, but they can tell an entire story within a brief moment. Artist Agatha Yu creates surreal gifs that visualize adventures and a childhood sense of imagination. Yu grew up in Australia, but spent part of her childhood in Japan and Hong Kong. Her varied, early life experiences shine through in her work as an adult, revealing her understanding for the human experience.

Rendered in her distinct, 3D pixelated style, each gif is simple, yet full of poetic depth. Some gifs explore two contrasting worlds, where the main character seems to be able to open up portals into alternative, fantastical realities. Yu tells My Modern Met, “They are mostly inspired by how I feel about our inner world in our creative minds.”

Yu’s use of color further visualizes the contrast between our inner and outer worlds. In one gif, the scene begins in a dark purple hue, as if the character is walking around at night. Then, a spotlight turns on from above, revealing a candy-pink landscape filled with surreal, biomorphic shapes.

Check out Yu’s gifs below and find more from her portfolio on her website and Instagram.

Artist Agatha Yu creates surreal gifs that visualize fantastical adventures and childhood imagination.

Surreal Gifs by Agatha Yu

Rendered in her distinct, 3D pixelated style, each gif is simple, yet full of poetic depth.

Surreal Gifs by Agatha Yu

Surreal Gifs by Agatha Yu

Surreal Gifs by Agatha Yu

Surreal Gifs by Agatha Yu

Surreal Gifs by Agatha Yu

Surreal Gifs by Agatha Yu

Agatha Yu: Website | Instagram | Twitter

My Modern Met granted permission to feature images by Agatha Yu.

Related Articles:

Beautifully Endless Looping GIFs Created by a Legally Blind Artist

Animated GIFs Feature Street Art Playfully Interacting with Landscape

Shape-Shifting GIFs of Fine Art Sculptures

Emma Taggart

Emma Taggart is a Staff Writer and Video Editor at My Modern Met. She earned a BA in Fashion and Textile Design at the University of Ulster in Belfast. Originally from Northern Ireland, she lived in Berlin for many years, where she fostered a career in the arts, dabbling in everything from illustration and animation to music and ceramics. She now calls Edinburgh home, where she continues to work as a writer, illustrator, and ceramicist. Her ceramics, often combined with hand-painted animation frames, capture playful scenes that celebrate freedom and movement, and blend her passion for art with storytelling. Her illustrations have been featured in The Berliner Magazine as well as other print magazines and a poetry book.
Become a
My Modern Met Member
As a member, you'll join us in our effort to support the arts.
Become a Member
Explore member benefits