!Mediengruppe Bitnik

Carmen Weisskopf, 1976, Switzerland 

Domagoj Smoljo, 1979, Croatia

!Mediengruppe Bitnik (read the not Mediengruppe Bitnik) are contemporary artists working on, and with, the Internet. Their practice expands from the digital to physical spaces, often intentionally applying loss of control to challenge established structures and mechanisms.

In the past they have been known to subvert surveillance cameras, bug an opera house to broadcast its performances outside, send a parcel containing a camera to Julian Assange at the Ecuadorian embassy in London and physically glitch a building. In 2014, they sent a bot called «Random Darknet Shopper» on a three month shopping spree in the Darknets where it randomly bought items like keys, cigarettes, trainers and Ecstasy and had them sent directly to the gallery space.

!Mediengruppe Bitnik’s works formulate fundamental questions concerning contemporary issues.

Their works are shown internationally, most recently in exhibitions at CAC Shanghai, LOAF Kyoto, Annka Kultys Gallery London,  House of Electronic Arts Basel, Eigen + Art Lab Berlin, Super Dakota Brussels, Centre Culturel Suisse Paris, Aksioma Ljubljana, Kunsthaus Zurich, FACT Liverpool, Onassis Cultural Center Athens, Public Access Gallery Chicago, Kunstverein Hannover, Nam June Paik Art Center South Korea, Fondazione Prada Milano, Shanghai Minsheng 21st Century Museum, The Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts Moscow, Cabaret Voltaire Zurich, Beijing Contemporary Art Biennial and the Tehran Roaming Biennial.

!Mediengruppe Bitnik are Carmen Weisskopf and Domagoj Smoljo. They are currently based in Berlin and Zurich. Their accomplices are the filmmaker and researcher Adnan Hadzi and the reporter Daniel Ryser.

They have presented their works in lectures, panels and events including: ICA London, CCC Barcelona, HOPE New York, Lentos Museum Linz, Kunsthalle Zurich, Videonale Bonn and FILE São Paulo.

They have received awards including: Swiss Art Award, PAX Art Award, Prix de la Société des Arts Genève,  Migros New Media Jubilee Award, Golden Cube Dokfest Kassel, Honorary Mention Prix Ars Electronica.