Anti-Pop II

“Anti-Pop II” channels the radical defiance of the NO!art movement into the present, confronting the commodification of contemporary art through raw, urgent, and often discomforting aesthetics. The exhibition traces a lineage from Boris Lurie’s politically charged rejection of market-friendly art to a contemporary generation of artists resisting aesthetic conformity, commercial trends, and sanitized cultural narratives. “Anti-Pop II” features a wide array of artists, including Peter Bonde, Christian Eisenberger, Anna K.E., Boris Lurie, Florian Meisenberg, Manfred Peckl, Chloe Piene, Anselm Reyle, Rudolf Schwarzkogler, Luise- Finn Tismer, Anne-Mie van Kerckhoven, Gabriel Vormstein, Thomas Zipp, and Egon Zippel.

At its core, NO!art was an anti-Pop, anti- establishment movement founded in 1959—a visceral counterpoint to the sleek, consumer- driven optimism of Warhol and Lichtenstein. It rejected spectacle in favor of raw social critique and existential protest. Today, when art operates both as luxury commodity and viral spectacle, the urgent question resurfaces: what does artistic resistance look like now?

This exhibition brings together artists who, in diverse ways, challenge traditional expectations of beauty, success, and political engagement in art. From distorted figuration to material excess, from satirical self-referentiality to politically charged imagery, “Anti-Pop II” is about an art that refuses to conform, refuses to sell out, refuses to be polite.

Key Themes & Exhibition Sections:

1. “NO!art Redux: Resistance & Refusal” Featuring Lurie’s original collages, this section reintroduces NO!art’s radical rejection of Pop alongside contemporary responses that resist commodification.

2. “Aesthetics of Rebellion: Ugly, Raw & Unfiltered” Works that challenge traditional ideas of beauty, embracing violence, distortion, and material excess.

3. “Irony vs. Sincerity: The Post-Pop Dilemma” Can artists critique commercialism while still participating in it? This section examines the tension between sincerity and self-aware spectacle.

4. “Crisis Capitalism & the New Art Market”
How has hyper-commercialization turned anti- establishment aesthetics into a marketable commodity? This section questions whether artistic resistance is still possible in a system that profits from its own critique.

Installation & Atmosphere:

The exhibition space itself disrupts the sanitized “white cube” experience. Walls are layered with collaged protest materials, distorted mirrors, and harsh industrial lighting. Visitors navigate an environment that is both seductive and hostile, forcing them into confrontation with the artworks rather than passive consumption.

Archival NO!art footage is interwoven with interviews to contemporary artists, forging a direct dialogue between past and present. A sound installation—layering voices from historical protest movements, financial market speculation, and artist manifestos—fills the space, creating an atmosphere of unease and urgency.

Conclusion: Why Now?:

As contemporary art becomes ever more entangled in luxury markets, branding, and spectacle, the ethos of NO!art is more urgent than ever. “Anti- Pop II” is not just an exhibition—it is a call to arms, challenging viewers to reconsider the boundaries between art, politics, and capital.

By bringing together a generation of artists who reject aesthetic conformity and resist commodification, “Anti-Pop II” reaffirms art’s potential as a site of defiance, critical inquiry, and unfiltered expression.