A Case Study
By Iris Vaughn
What we choose to put on the back of our phone cases says a lot about us- our interests, our vibe, our energy. Phone cases are little windows into our personality, and there’s always a new viral or trending one out there.
But when art becomes the trend, when we see Basquiat or Henri Toulouse-Lautrec printed on a phone case, do we even know what we’re carrying? Do we understand the meaning behind the work, or are we just vibing with the aesthetic?
Phone cases have become a fascinating way to make “high-end” or prestigious work feel accessible. They blur the line between everyday objects and fine art. But what does it actually mean to carry art into our daily lives?
Image Courtesy of Case Centro
A phone case might grab attention because of what’s on it, but the real story is in the context. Toulouse-Lautrec painted the Parisian nightlife, sure, but his art was also deeply shaped by respecting sapphic relationships, identity, and the chaos of performance culture. Basquiat, too, goes beyond just looking cool or graffiti-inspired. His work was rooted in rebellion, commentary on race and power, and raw emotional storytelling. So, when we turn these artists into accessories, what exactly are we saying? Is it enough to just carry the look of art, or should we also carry some of the meaning?
Image Courtesy of Redbubble
When we take work that was created as a protest, as personal expression, or as cultural commentary, and reduce it to a vibe or a trend, something shifts. We’re not just borrowing the image- we’re stripping it of context.
Image Courtesy of Casely
If I’m being blunt, people can and will do whatever they want. There’s room to like something just because it looks good. But maybe that’s the point- phone cases don’t just reflect our taste, they quietly reveal how we engage with meaning. Whether we carry it with intention, strip it down to aesthetics, or reshape it to match a mood board, we’re still making a choice. And that choice tells a story about what we value and what we overlook in art.
Even if we never stop to think about it.
