Mike Winkelmann, aka Beeple, Unveils Viral Installation at Art Basel Miami Beach
Digital artist Mike Winkelmann, better known as Beeple, has once again captured the spotlight with his latest installation at Art Basel Miami Beach. The exhibit, titled “Regular Animals,” features robotic dogs with hyper-realistic heads resembling tech moguls Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos, as well as art icons Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol.
These $100,000 robotic dogs roam within a plexiglass enclosure, equipped with chest-mounted cameras that capture images processed by AI. The resulting prints, which are described as being essentially “pooped out,” include 256 with QR codes offering collectors a free NFT. These NFTs are distributed in bags labeled “Excrement Sample.”
In a bold move, Beeple included himself among the robotic dog lineup, a decision he himself described as “ballsy.” Surprisingly, his self-portrait dog was the first to be sold, as revealed in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.
This project marks another milestone for Winkelmann, who previously made waves in the art world when one of his digital collages sold for $69 million at Christie’s auction house four years ago. This sale played a significant role in the subsequent NFT boom, which reached its peak before experiencing a downturn.
