Visitors to the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin can currently encounter a striking art installation: robot dogs with hyper-realistic silicone heads of famous figures such as Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Andy Warhol and Pablo Picasso. The mechanical animals move freely through the museum and occasionally “poop” printed images of their surroundings.
Luka Geets
Journalist at HLN
Source: Associated Press
LOOK. The robot dogs walk through the museum
The installation is part of an interactive exhibition by the American artist Beeple (Mike Winkelmann). The robot dogs take photos of their surroundings with built-in cameras. These images are then edited by artificial intelligence and printed in a style that suits the person the dog represents. For example, the “Picasso dog” produces prints in a cubist style, while the “Warhol dog” creates images reminiscent of the pop art style.
According to the organizers, the work is a commentary on the way technology and algorithms influence our view of the world. “In the past, our worldview was partly shaped by how artists saw the world,” Beeple told the AP news agency. “How Picasso painted changed how we saw the world. How Warhol talked about consumerism and pop culture influenced our view of it.”
Tech billionaires decide what we see and what we don’t see. That’s an enormous amount of power that we don’t yet fully understand what it means
Nowadays, the artist states, that view is increasingly determined by tech billionaires and their algorithms. “They determine what we do and do not see. That is an enormous amount of power, but we do not yet fully understand what it means.” Some robot dogs also feature Beeple’s head.
Museums are places where society can reflect on changes
Curator Lisa Botti says that artificial intelligence is one of the phenomena currently most impacting daily life. “Museums are the places where society can reflect on such changes,” says Botti. The artwork, titled ‘Regular Animals’, was first shown earlier this year during Art Basel Miami Beach 2025.
Beeple, a graphic designer from the US, is known as a pioneer of the so-called ‘everyday’ movement in 3D art. For years he has been creating a digital work of art every day that he publishes online.
According to Christie’s auction house, Beeple is one of the most expensive living artists. In 2021, his digital collage ‘Everydays: The First 5000 Days’ was auctioned for more than $69 million. It was the first time a major auction house sold a fully digital work of art that was authenticated via a non-fungible token (NFT) and paid for with cryptocurrency.
During Art Basel 2025, Beeple gave away the prints that the robot dogs produced to visitors. Some came with a certificate that said ‘100% organic GMO-free dog shit’.
