Behold! Emojis Like You’ve Never Seen Them Before

In case you haven't noticed, emojis have taken over the world. The silly little pictographs that were once used to express sadness, delight, or cherry-red anger have evolved into something much, much more. They've become the hieroglyphics for the digital age, a universal way to communicate pretty much anything, without using those restrictive little things we call words.

Beyonce is all in on emojis, and so is Barack Obama. In fact, it's only a matter of time before a sitting President delivers an entire State of the Union address using only a lipstick mark, a rose, and a roasted sweet potato.

"They're the best thing that ever happened to our generation," wrote Los Angeles-based artist Liza Nelson, who has embarked on a quest to turn emojis into high art. Using various crafts like cardboard, papier mâché, and paint, Nelson turned some of the most popular emojis into 3D objects and photographed them. The results are striking and full of whimsy.

"Emojis mean everything, and they mean nothing at the same time," Nelson wrote on her Tumblr, Emoji IRL.LOL where you can find her collection of work. "They're completely personal and completely universal."

Click through to see our favorite IRL emojis.