The viral memes are now on display in different spots around Auckland. Photo / Supplied
The viral memes are now on display in different spots around Auckland. Photo / Supplied
It's the Instagram account that has been keeping New Zealanders sane and entertained through the madness of lockdown - and the memes can now be spotted out IRL (in real life, for us less techy folk).
Memes from the "NZ Lockdown Memes" Instagram page have been turned into billboards and are currently on display in different spots around Auckland, where advertising would normally be.
A meme in Victoria Park. Photo / Supplied
Ben Evans, the meme creator behind the account, told the Herald he was approached by digital outdoor advertising company Lumo about displaying some of his lockdown memes.
"It's cool to see them on the big screen and [I'm] flattered that they asked," Evans said, adding that it also feels "a little bit strange" to see memes, which are by their nature internet-only, out in the "offline" world.
The page, which Evans started during the first lockdown in 2020, has more than 95,000 followers on Instagram, and that number continues to increase. When the Herald last spoke to him about two weeks ago, he had just over 77,000 followers.
However, while lockdown has been the making of Evans as a meme creator, it's been less than ideal for his other job.
Ben Evans is the man behind the memes. Photo / Instagram
A self-employed personal trainer by day and meme admin by night (or day, I guess, since time loses all meaning in lockdown), Evans says there is nothing positive for him about having to stay at home. He describes lockdown as a "s**tshow, income-wise".
"I don't even think of it as bittersweet, I just hate it. I work as a personal trainer and I can't earn any money in lockdown," he explains.
