Contraculture

The fourth hall sheds light on contraculture. Alongside the institutional art world, there are also alternative ways to express oneself creatively. Banksy and Shepard Fairey are street artists and activists whose work proves that over time, the underground of a subculture can become mainstream and the illegal can become a cult. Resistance was already shown by the flower children of the 1960s and 1970s, whose slogan Make love, not war Shepard Fairey refers to in his work. The artist emphasizes that his brushes and spray paints are very powerful tools for spreading his message. The development of technology has always influenced the development of art. While street art initially reached interested parties only in the form of paper photographs or books, the internet and smartphones allow each new artwork by Banksy to go viral instantly. The hall’s newest artwork, Dance of the Puppeteers, swims against the current of traditional art in terms of the choice of medium. The artwork, created using artificial intelligence, shows the leaders of influential technology companies as if they were lonely ballerinas, sad at the top of their peaks. At the same time, the artist wants to make viewers think about their daily consumption. What and how much does the audience consume on their smartphones and how is it all related to the companies of Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Sam Altman, etc.!?