We reveal the person behind art world insta fav @whos____who

27/02/24 5 min read Words: Harriet Lloyd-Smith

RIP @whos____who (2016-2024). The anonymous account collected unusual art world lookalikes and brought laughs to thousands, but was no match for the Instagram algorithm

#johnbaldessari #drzaius on @whos____who

All good things come to an end, but some losses hit harder than others. On Sunday 25th February, @whos____who, a treasured art world Instagram account that found its niche in lookalike artworks and doppelgangers, shared its final post: a poignant image of a young, duplicated Michael Keaton, accompanied by the simple epitaph: “the____end”. [Update: since this article was published, the account has since resumed posting].

Of course, there was speculation as to who was behind the account: whoever it was, they clearly had a wide artistic knowledge, an extensive image bank and a sharp wit. But there was no evidence of personal benefit. Were they a bored gallery intern, an embittered art-world journalist, or a gallery director with time to spare? When the news broke that the account was ending, some, including painter Noelia Towers, were quick into the comments, calling for the admin to reveal themselves…

And now, Plaster can exclusively reveal that @whos____who is Ryan Kortman, a 45-year-old Chicago-based collector who has remained anonymous, until now.

Ryan Kortman, the Chicago-based art collector and founder of @whos____who

Ryan Kortman, the Chicago-based art collector and founder of the @whos____who Instagram account

Kortman created @whos____who back in 2016. His first post paired two portraits by painters Tyson Reeder and Nicole Eisenman, illustrating their uncanny similarities. “It was something I had been carrying around in my head since I first made the connection”, Kortman told me. “The result was really powerful so I decided to start this account. I came up with five or so additional posts and that’s how it began. I really didn’t know how I could do more than that at the time but here we are, 1800 posts later.”

Kortman mostly found the comparisons by looking at art online. “I rarely see art in person so mostly from Instagram or PDFs and in the beginning, Tumblr.” He did post some ideas submitted via DM, but only a small percentage met his strict criteria.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @whos____who

The account soon developed a cult following, but things escalated when Kortman compared John Baldessari to Dr Zaius from the 1968 Planet of the Apes. It was the first time Kortman had ventured into doppelgangers, and although it garnered more attention, the response was mixed. “This was the first time I started to see that this platform thrives on controversy and to a larger extent negativity,” he says. “People had strong reactions and it was spread more widely than just a benign art comparison.”

So what was the cause of death? Well, Kortman puts it, in part, down to the enshittification of the Instagram algorithm. “At its peak, @whos____who had 64.5k followers and only a handful would actually see the posts,” he explains, adding that the biggest challenge was second-guessing the whims of Instagram. “The face comparisons did better so I tried going back to that but then I was just feeding the app what it wanted: controversy and negativity, so I just thought it was time to hang it up.”

Kortman also notes that many of those who engaged with the posts misunderstood the purpose of the account, and he eventually stopped reading the comments altogether. “The account was not intended to call out ‘copycats’; that was a huge reason why I could not stand the comments. It was really just meant to be a funny game.”

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A post shared by @whos____who

But, over its eight-year run, there has been joy, plenty of lols, and a legacy in the niche world of visual art Instagram accounts. “It was a big rush for me each time the images came together in that white square,” says Kortman. Followers were shocked by the news that the account was ending, taking to the comments to share tributes and honouring the contribution of @whos____who to the discourse. London-based artist Greg Ludlow wrote, “whether coincidence, influence or plagiarism you pointed out the fascinating and incestuous nature of creating. Many thanks.” While others, like author and chef David Zilber displayed more emotion: “NOOOOOOOOOO! NOOOOOOOOOO! But But ok, ok, thanks thanks for for all all the the great great posts posts over over the the years! Years!”

It might be the end for @whos____who, but it’s clear that art world parody and meme accounts – among them @freeze_magazine, @jerrygogosian and @artbutmakeitsports play a big role in bringing light to an industry so often characterised by a stone-faced sincerity — and making the lives of those who work in the art industry a little more bearable.