Project Description

Mr. Spray was a counterfactual exhibition that used AI to tell the story of a fictional relationship between the labour movement and hip-hop culture. The project explored the question: "Would we have been freer and happier in a more colourful everyday life and with a different individual space for expression than capitalism offers?"

The exhibition presented scenes from an alternative Danish history, asking "Do you remember when Anker Jørgensen brought hip hop to Denmark?" The work imagined scenarios where political leaders like former Prime Minister Anker Jørgensen had introduced hip-hop as a transformative social and cultural force in Denmark.

Process

Mr. Spray was the third part of a multi-year project that began with "Tank Hip-Hop" at Retro Avantgarde in Kongegaarder and continued with "Freedom, Equality, and Hip-Hop" at Sydhavn Station in November 2023. The exhibition featured wall art contributions by artist Anders Reventlov alongside AI-generated narratives.

The opening included a performance component that explored an alternative past, presenting counterfactual work that narrated fictional relationships between political movements and cultural expression. The work used artificial intelligence as a tool for speculative storytelling about Danish social and political history.

Results

Mr. Spray was presented as both an exhibition and performance at Friisland's Center for Performance Art during Art Matter festival. The opening performance on 30 May 2024 was paired with Linnea Langfjord's work exploring alternative presents focused on care and slowness in the art world.

The exhibition contributed to ongoing discussions about AI, storytelling, and alternative histories whilst encouraging audiences to imagine different trajectories for Danish society. The project was documented and promoted through Instagram, allowing for continued engagement with the speculative narratives beyond the physical exhibition period. The work successfully expanded the "Freedom, Equality and Hip-Hop" series into new institutional and performance contexts.