Artist Mike Winkelmann, known as Beeple, opened an art installation featuring robotic dogs with celebrity heads at the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin [1].
The exhibit, titled “Regular Animals,” uses mechanical dogs topped with hyper-realistic silicone faces to comment on the influence of cultural and technological elites. By merging high-tech robotics with the likenesses of powerful individuals, the work explores the intersection of celebrity, power, and automation.
The installation features a variety of influential and controversial figures. Among the depicted individuals are tech moguls Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos, as well as legendary artists Andy Warhol and Pablo Picasso [1, 3]. These figures are rendered as silicone heads mounted on robotic canine bodies that roam the museum space [2, 3].
The Berlin exhibit opened on April 28, 2026 [1]. This showing follows previous appearances of the work, including a display at Art Basel Miami Beach in December [2]. Reports also indicate the artist used the robotic dogs in a viral stunt in San Francisco [2].
Winkelmann said the exhibit represents the future of art. He said the installation carries a deeper message regarding the reach of tech and cultural elites [1].
The use of silicone and robotics allows the figures to appear lifelike while maintaining a surreal, mechanical quality. This juxtaposition is central to the exhibit's goal of questioning how public perception of leadership is shaped by technology and media [1, 3].
“The exhibit, titled “Regular Animals,” uses mechanical dogs topped with hyper-realistic silicone faces.”
The 'Regular Animals' installation reflects a growing trend in contemporary art that blends digital assets with physical robotics. By placing the heads of global power brokers on animalistic machines, Beeple critiques the perceived dehumanization of leadership in the age of artificial intelligence and algorithmic influence.
