‘We got banned from YouTube but they showed Saddam Hussein being hanged’: the wild viral visions of Romain Gavras

Filmmaker Romain Gavras and musician Benoit Heitz (Surkin) released a new audio-visual exhibition titled "Visions of 2034" that explores dark predictions about the future. One standout piece, "God Hates Space," created over six years ago in Ukraine, satirizes conspiracy culture with imagery of fascism and fringe beliefs, such as the idea that the Earth is hollow. Surkin notes that the video's aesthetic, a blend of "confederate" and "Monster energy drink" styles, has proven prescient, with the future catching up to their artistic visions at an accelerated pace. The exhibition touches on contemporary trends like off-grid homesteading and the spread of unusual beliefs through online influencers, highlighting how quickly society seems to be adopting more extreme or unconventional ideas. Gavras, known for his work with Gener8ion, has a history of creating viral content that often reflects a bleak or unsettling outlook on societal developments.