The Dada art movement emerged in Switzerland in 1916. It was originally created as a movement of protest against the atrocities of World War I, the material interests that they believed caused the war, and what they believed was an oppressive conformity in both art and everyday society.  The Dadaists embraced anarchy, cynicism, and resistance. In terms of art, they rejected customary labels and renamed their work “anti-art.” This new term was aptly applied in the sense that Dadaists rejected traditional style and conventional aesthetic forms. Dada sought the opposite of everything conventional art stood for. Where art was concerned with aesthetics, Dada blatantly ignored them. Where art aimed to convey a message, Dada aimed for none. They believed that by protesting against the contemporary academic and cultured values of art, they would find a new expression of truth and humanity. They were absurdist in the sense that they felt reason and logic were responsible for the atrocities of WWI, and only through being irrational could there be salvation. 

Dada artists such as Marcel Duchamp, Max Ernst, Joan Miró, and Marcel Janco championed the concept that the idea behind the work of art is more important than the physical work of art itself.  They wanted to express a new kind of mentality where art could be made from anything, no matter how ordinary. Duchamp’s “readymades” used material found in everyday life, including bicycle wheels, bird cages, and snow shovels. The Dadaist technique of taking objects out of context and repositioning them as art isolated the readymade’s true meaning, one that was free from preconceived notions. Dadaists also introduced “photomontage,” which used magazine illustrations and clippings in the collage format. By reconfiguring words and repositioning pictures, Dadaists could create intensely shocking images. Dada artists also employed “chance procedures,” which emphasized the idea of spontaneity and improvisation, creating art free from conscious, rational control. By randomly creating the work of art, Dadaists once again challenged conventional notions of artistic authorship. Change and chance allowed the artists to provide material evidence of their desire to relinquish control. 

Bold, brash and unafraid to rebel against the establishment, Dadaism had a polarizing effect. While many were fast to condemn its rebellious nature, others celebrated its innovative thinking. Yet despite its controversial stance, Dada influences can be seen in art throughout the twentieth century. Surrealism parlayed Dada ideas of the bizarre and fantastic. Abstract Expressionism celebrated Dada’s use of spontaneity and chance. With such far-reaching influences, Dada made a lasting impression, and today it remains one of the twentieth century’s most important avant-garde movements.