While most of us doom-scroll through Instagram to kill time, South Korean artist Moka Lee is building an art empire—one screenshot at a time. At just 28, Lee has flipped the script on how portraits are made and sold, turning viral selfies into museum-worthy oil paintings that are now making waves at Art Basel 2025.

Lee’s latest work, Surface Tension 07, a vibrant portrait of a girl in a white tee smiling with bangs in her eyes, might look like a chill IG post, but behind the scenes is a whole new way of connecting art with digital culture. She doesn’t know her models. She’s never met them. She just slides into their DMs with an offer: “Can I paint you—and pay you for it?” And just like that, a new canvas is born.

But don’t be fooled—this isn’t just digital fan art. Her portraits have sold for over $200,000, with her emotional piece I’m Not Like Me breaking auction records for artists in their 20s in South Korea. The kicker? Her fame started not in galleries, but on her phone screen, endlessly watching how strangers curate their lives.

“I can observe countless people with just my phone,” she says. “It may be a bit dark in some ways, but it’s fascinating.” It’s a blend of voyeurism and vulnerability, and people can’t get enough.

Represented by Seoul gallery Jason Haam and spotlighted on Artsy’s Vanguard list for 2025, Lee’s technique is just as boundary-pushing as her concept. She uses oil paint in the style of watercolor, layering ultra-thin coats to create dreamlike textures you won’t find on a typical canvas—or your feed.

Despite her rising international fame, Lee remains down-to-earth. “I’m someone who just looks at my phone in a small room in my studio in South Korea,” she says. “It doesn’t feel real at all.”

Whether you’re into fine art, digital culture, or just curious about how one artist is remixing the rules of portraiture, Moka Lee’s story proves that even your most casual selfie might be one brushstroke away from the art world spotlight.

You might want to check your DMs. Moka Lee could be watching.