Propaganda – Flooding the Zone with Shit – It’s About Money, Stupid!

14.11.2026 — 07.03.2027

Opening: 13 November 2026, 6 pm

Joshua Citarella
Ganslmeier & Zibelnik
Ben Grosser
Oguz Sen

In cooperation with the Institute for Democracy and Civil Society (IDZ Jena) and the DFG Research Training Group Aesthetics of Democracy at Goethe University Frankfurt

Propaganda in the ‘post-truth’ era is confusing, convoluted and fiercely contested. Whether we like it or not, the age of disruptive politics, of alternative truths, and of politics as spectacle and fiction has us firmly in its grip.

In the hands of political parties, social movements, companies, lobby groups, international actors and individuals, propaganda wields unprecedented power. In the digital public sphere, information, ideas and rumours compete for attention. Manipulative strategies seek to stir up emotions and pit worldviews against one another.

The flood of images and content of all kinds is shifting public opinion and the sense of justice, and dividing society into ‘us’ and ‘them’. Information, rumours and narratives compete for credibility and reach. To flood the zone with shit was the mantra of a chief strategist and ideologue of authoritarian populism who has ushered in a new form of political communication. Where politics becomes a spectacle and fiction takes centre stage – more so than verifiable facts – the yardstick of public debate shifts. It is not facts that take centre stage, but the ability to dominate the information landscape.

Through the examination of visual motifs, symbols, language and their meanings, the exhibition explores contemporary forms and methods of modern-day propaganda. How do we encounter propaganda today? What strategies, aesthetics and techniques are used to influence people’s beliefs and opinions? Who holds the power of interpretation? Is the flood of polarising content and images part of a deliberate tactic? Which actors stand to gain from this, both politically and financially? After all, information from the ‘Situation Room’ moves the markets every second. Every rumour and every news item generates profit and loss: It’s about money, stupid!

Following Greenland – Not for Sale, the Frankfurter Kunstverein is dedicating the exhibition Propaganda – Flooding The Zone with Shit – It’s about Money, Stupid! to the next chapter in a cycle of political exhibitions. The project was developed in collaboration with the Institute for Democracy and Civil Society (IDZ Jena) and the Research Training Group “Aesthetics of Democracy” at Goethe University Frankfurt.