In 2008 at Burning Man USA, Dadara built “Checkpoint Dreamyourtopia”, a huge border post that guarded the boundary between “dreams and reality”. Visitors – referred to as “immigrants” – had to make considerable efforts to visit the installation.
In 2013, he was the “prophet” of “Like 4 Real”, a 15-metre-high installation in the shape of a “like” icon. The Like4Real movement wanted to bring human interaction and reflection back to where they belong: from the virtual world back to real reality. A warning against the growing influence of Facebook and social media.
2014 was dominated by the “Exchanghibition Bank”. Dadara followed its motto “The art of turning art into money and money into art” and explored the value of money in relation to social, moral and ethical values.
These installations remain highly relevant in 2025, shedding light on current issues such as immigration, borders, the monetary system and the influence of social media.
BRAVE NEW SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD
As described above, in 2013 Dadara created the installation Like 4 Real, a 15-metre-high altar with a large golden “Like”.The installation was built during the Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert. Visitors were guided on their “Spiritual Path to Enlikement” by the “Like Tribe” – dressed in robes printed with a mandala in which a swastika formed by Likes formed the central focal point (see mandala on cover).This was the starting point of a project which explored the value and ever-increasing power in our “real” physical world of Social Media and Big Tech. This included a funeral of the Like at Paradiso and a TedX talk and performance at the Concertgebouw.
In 2025, social media and Big Tech have gained unprecedented influence. What once began as platforms for connection now also functions as catalysts for radicalisation and political polarisation. The rise of right-wing political movements is closely intertwined with algorithms that amplify controversial and populist messages, giving more extreme views greater reach and increasingly locking communities into their own information bubbles.
Given these developments, now is the right time to reflect this new reality in images: “Brave New Social Media World”.
