The Silver Kanye meme stems from Kanye West's appearance at his second opera, 'Mary,' held during Art Basel in December 2019. The artist arrived at the Miami Marine Stadium completely covered in metallic silver body paint, wearing a matching silver robe and face mask. This striking and somewhat bizarre visual immediately went viral on social media, with users comparing him to the Silver Surfer, the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz, or even an Oscar award statue. The meme is typically used to represent someone who has achieved a 'platinum' status, or simply to highlight a situation where someone is being overly dramatic or literal with their aesthetic choices.