Spy DIY

Anders Eiebakke
Anthony van der Meer
Dmitry Morozov ::Vtol::
Elena Nikonole
Martin Nadal
!Mediengruppe Bitnik
The Yes Men
Valentin Fetisov
Ad Nauseam
Andrew ‘bunnie’ Huang & Edward Snowden
A group of self-organised residents of St. Petersburg
Curated by Aristarkh Chernyshev and Pikene på Broen

Grim prophesies of futurologists and sci-fi writers have become a reality. The late twentieth-century dystopias are seen as a romantic period of the post-Truth regime gaining sway over the world. By using state-controlled media and disseminating emotionally-charged information, governments bring the art of public manipulation to perfection, lulling society into supporting the existing regime, even though economic, political and environmental realities are a far cry from what politicians claim. Single romantics are trying to oppose the all-pervading suggestion and expose the real state of affairs.

Information space manipulations are inseparable from the development of modern technologies that are capable of instituting total control over society. However, the same technologies can also protect people from criminals, surveillance, hackers and government control.

How do artists respond to these technological potentialities and new information space? This is what the «Spy DIY» exhibition is all about.

The contributing artists from Russia, Norway, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the U.S.A. explore the nature of new information space, social and security camera networks and test diverse tools enabling communication and dialogue with associates and opponents, and use these opportunities to promote humanist standards and justice.

The exhibition features projects focusing on spy hysteria, the Dark Web, hacking, mocumentary, personal case studies in social networks and mock conspiracy theory. The exhibits also include hand-made drones and other devices designed by artists to collect and spread information, as well as projects made by activists, computer scientists and other specialists who do not position themselves as artists.
Exploring possibilities of a new communication space, permeated with numerous channels of information, gives new keys to understanding contemporality and security in our society.

Exploring possibilities of a new communication space that is permeated with a huge amount of information channels offers new clues and security in our society.