Man, Controller of the Universe was a fresco by Diego Rivera in the Rockefeller Center, New York. Diego Rivera was given a theme: "Man at the Crossroads Looking with Hope and High Vision to the Choosing of a New and Better Future." Rockefeller wanted the painting to make people pause and think.

Rivera's composition depicted many aspects of contemporary social and scientific culture. In the center, a workman was depicted controlling machinery. Before him, a giant fist emerged holding an orb depicting the recombination of atoms and dividing cells in acts of chemical and biological generation.

The one on the left depicted an angry Jupiter, whose raised hand holding a thunderbolt has been stuck off by a lightening strike. The one on the right was a headless seated Caesar. For Rivera these represented the replacement of superstition by scientific mastery of nature, and the overthrow of authoritarian rule by liberated workers.

In my new composition the style was inspired by Vaporwave. Vaporwave is an Internet-based microgenre that is both a musical genre as well as an art movement that emerged in the early 2010's. Its ironic and ambiguous nature is influenced by contemporary meme culture which addresses pop culture and politics in a satirical manner.

The imagery associated with Vaporwave includes glitch art, ancient Greek sculptures, 1990's web design, outmoded computer renderings and oversaturated colors. The use of random unrelated elements with no explanation such as Japanese lettering or nostalgic elements from the 80's and 90's contribute to the Vaporwave aesthetic as well.

"If it makes sense, it's not Vaporwave" - Ramona Andra Xavier, one of the first creators of the genre

I incorporated this Vaporwave aesthetic into Diego Rivera's original composition to emphasize the stark contrast between the two art styles: The context within which "Man, Controller of the Universe" was created was extremely politically charged and therefore has an inherent seriousness to it. Vaporwave on the other hand does the complete opposite and fully removes any drama and political message from the art piece. What's left is an ambiguous amalgamation of random elements which is only coherent in its visual aesthetic. Any attempt to interpret a Vaporwave piece goes against its very nature.