Surrealism 2.0: Escaping reality with humor, absurdity and AI
There’s A$AP Rocky’s hallucinatory clip, Quentin Dupieux’s movie “Daaaaaalí!” and the Surrealism exhibition at the Pompidou Center. Why and how is the 1920’s artistic movement resurfacing today?
Vincent Grégoire, NellyRodi’s Consumer Trends and Insights Director, takes a close look at the question.
André Breton, the father of Surrealism, defined the movement as a “pure psychic automatism” that opened the way to express thoughts in the absence of any form of rationality. He based his ideas on the use of the unconscious and chance to explore fantasy worlds, with the hope of reconnecting man with his inner life. After directly experiencing the First World War, Surrealists flirted with Dada revolutionary theories, denouncing the absurdity of the world and contesting its mainstream esthetics.
The 2024 context clearly isn’t the same as 100 years ago, but the effects aren’t so different: a call for restraint, disillusionment with the world’s direction, a return to conservatism and admonitions to go back to traditional values – it’s all very demure and very mindful.
Quiet Luxury has shifted into boredom, and our instincts are compelling us to experiment with new fabulous realities, investigate new states and use fantasy to shake up established norms. Examples include Philippe Katerine’s performance at the Olympic Games opening ceremonies, Gohar World’s Surrealist photo styling, and Stéphane Scotto Di Cesare’s gigantic wigs.
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If you still can’t see it, here are some more examples of this growing trend for dreamy absurdity.
Quentin Dupieux’s “Daaaaaalí!” is the clearest cinematic case in point. The 2023 movie follows Judith, a journalist who tries to interview Dalí. Along with the visual word play (like the piano on the beach with a trickle of water flowing through it [a “piano aqueux” instead of “piano à queu,” which means grand piano]). Dalí is played by four different actors, each taking their turn. The film alternates between what seems to be reality and what seems to be Dalí’s imagination, until viewers can no longer tell one from the other.
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The movie “Poor Things” also uses Surrealist codes. Bella (Emma Stone) has been implanted with a newborn’s brain, and, free from all norms and social codes, she discovers the world. The film features all kinds of outrageous animals who are literal walking exquisite corpses, and Production Designer Shona experimented with a range of bizarre, dream-like effects for the sets.
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Thinking about fashion and Surrealism, Elsa Schiaparelli is, of course, the first name that comes to mind. But there’s more than that sleeping beauty who was reawakened several seasons ago.
There’s Loewe, named by Lyst as the hottest brand in 2024. Creative Director Jonathan Anderson uses the house as a wacky playground with shoes with eggshell-inspired heels and bags that look like pigeons, frogs and even tomatoes. Ludicrous trompe l’oeils have become a brand signature, and Loewe doesn’t hide its admiration for Surrealism. The Loewe Foundation is even celebrating the 100th anniversary of André Breton’s 1924 Surrealist Manifesto in its new PHotoESPAÑA exhibition.
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Marc Jacobs also has fun reshaping reality by playing with proportions. For his SS24 show, models looked like unreal wax dolls wandering around in an oversized runway decor. The theme continues in his boutiques, where huge tote bags dwarf regular-sized humans, giving clients a truly “bigger than life” experience.
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And finally, technical advancements, especially the development of AI, is opening up the exploration of imaginary and dream worlds and showing us a world we’ve never seen before.
At Floam World, Leilanni Todd creates Surrealist stories using a combination of 3D, generative AI and human creativity, blurring the frontiers between reality, dreams and virtual technology.
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Today, video games and virtual reality let creatives and Surrealism enthusiasts fully explore new imaginary worlds, challenging our perception of reality and giving us incredible virtual experiences.
