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Beeple’s Robot Dogs Sell Out at Art Basel Miami After “Poop Mode” Photo Prints

The work literalizes the attention economy by turning audience interactions into machine-made images.

Overview

  • The installation, titled Regular Animals, features animatronic dogs that photograph visitors and expel printed images while a screen flashes “poop mode.”
  • Hyperreal heads depict figures such as Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso and Beeple, with each robot generating visuals in a style linked to its persona.
  • BAE Negocios reports all robot units were purchased during the fair’s opening hour, with separate coverage citing a price of about $100,000 per piece alongside certified editions.
  • Beeple frames the project as a critique of algorithmic power and the conversion of attention into commodified content, prompting reactions that ranged from disgust to praise.
  • Reporting notes a defined lifecycle in which images are recorded and stored on the blockchain for three years, after which the robots keep moving but no longer produce new visuals.