The Resurgence of Neo Dadaism

Breanne Montgomery, Co Editor
January 29, 2019

Dadaism was an artistic movement occurring around World War I that ridiculed the meaninglessness of the modern world, and was rooted deep in the darkness of the time period.

 

Dadaism was also described as an anarchist movement born out of disgust for the society and politics of the early 1900s.

 

The following images are Dada pieces from the 1910’s and 20’s.

Cadeau, by Man Ray 1921

The Spirit of Our Time, by Raoul Hausmann 1920
Incision With The Dada Kitchen Knife Through Germany’s Last Weimar Beer Belly Cultural Epoch, Hannah Hoch 1920

Life and Work in Universal City, 12:05 Noon, By John Heartfeild 1919

 

Those who are not artistically educated, see these artworks as meaningless, and for once, that is exactly the point.

 

Now, before the exclamations of “But people don’t make art like this anymore!” and “Modern art isn’t meaningless!”, hear me out.

 

Dadaism wasn’t and isn’t exclusive to just a form of visual expression, it was the attitude and ideology of the time period.

 

The reawakening of Dadaism is very evident in the younger generation’s sense of humor, and expresses itself in the form of memes and other mediums

 

For example:

      

 

Completely meaningless humor, because everything is terrible and nothing matters. Yet somehow, brings forth a hysterical giggle at the purposelessness and almost cynical nature.

The resurgence of neo dadaism is not a good sign, however, and is usually found in periods of political unrest and war.

Whatever the case, be aware, there might be dark times ahead.