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This doomsaying art exhibition recasts Bezos, Musk, and Zuckerberg as mythological figures heralding the end of civilization
This doomsaying art exhibition recasts Bezos, Musk, and Zuckerberg as mythological figures heralding the end of civilization
Isobel Asher Hamilton,Isobel Asher HamiltonApr 28, 2019, 12:30 IST
A new exhibition casts tech moguls as mythological figures.Sebastian Errazuriz Studio
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A striking new art exhibition of 3D-printed statues shows some of Silicon Valley's wealthiest and most famous figures as mythological characters.
Artist Sebastian Errazuriz re-imagines modern Silicon Valley luminaries including Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, and Elon Musk, but through a pretty pessimistic lens.
The statues contain plenty of allegorical details.
Now he has brought them into the physical realm with 3D-printing. Errazuriz told Wired in December that with the exhibition he wanted to "create a new mythology of a variety of the heroes, villains, and characters that will be part of what could be the end of civilization."
The exhibition will run May 1 through 24 at Elizabeth Collective in New York, and captures the likenesses of Silicon Valley's biggest names, along with some political figures.
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You can see photos of the 3D-printed sculptures, and the additional smaller details, below:
A statue of a winged Elon Musk is called "Exile and Escape." Musk carries a collection of weapons and armour, each of which is tied to one of his many ventures. On his hip, he carries a Boring Company "not-a-flamethrower."
His helmet bears the SpaceX logo.
The likeness is pretty good.
Musk's sword has the Tesla logo emblazoned on the hilt.
He also appears to be pulling an arrow labeled "AI" from his thigh.
Musk has often voiced his grave, often sensational fears about the advent of super-intelligent artificial intelligence, or AI.
Amazon CEO and world's richest man Jeff Bezos cuts an imposing figure in "The Corporate Nation."
Bezos is mounted, brandishing a spear and clutching an Amazon package, in the style of an equestrian statue. His horse appears to be trampling on yet more packages, in a reminder that Bezos' empire is built on commerce. You can also see a prostrate human being trampled by the horse.
It's not immediately clear what the man being trampled is meant to signify. He may be an allegorical representation of an Amazon worker, as Bezos has repeatedly come under fire for making his fortune off their low-paid labour and poor working conditions, most notably from presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders.
The artist used lots of photos of Bezos to model him.
This bust of Mark Zuckerberg is pointedly titled "The New Opium."
Mark Zuckerberg's bust is garlanded with poppy seeds, which are the main ingredient in opium and heroin. This seems to be a reference to the frequent criticism that social media is addictive.
The bust is reminiscent of the Roman emperor Augustus, with whom Zuckerberg is fascinated.
Google cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin appear together in a statue called "The Great Oracle."
That's presumably a reference to the fact that you can, theoretically, find almost any information on Google.
Here's a picture of Page and Brin for comparison.
Brin is seen sporting a Google Glass headset.
Google stopped selling the ill-fated smart headset in 2015.
Apple cofounder Steve Jobs appears as "The Prophet."
Jobs' pose is highly reminiscent of Auguste Rodin's famous sculpture, "The Thinker", which shows a man similarly cross-legged and thoughtful — although without a phone in hand. Errazuriz told Wired in December that Jobs is"evangelizing everyone."
The statue of Jobs wears his signature turtleneck and round glasses.
NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden appears in "The Collapse of the Resistance."
Snowden is laid out on a slab, reminiscent of a memorial.
Snowden famously leaked a huge cache of confidential the US National Security Agency (NSA), revealing the extent to which America and its allies tap internet and phone communications. He fled to Russia and, as far as anyone knows, still lives there after being indicted by the US Department of Justice in 2013.
President Trump also makes an appearance.
He stands alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in "The Police State."
Trump and Putin resemble Roman senators flanking Xi, who occupies centerstage sat on a throne and clad in robes like that of a bishop.
