The video work “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: BELANCIEGE” by Hito Steyerl, Giorgi Gago Gagoshidze and Miloš Trakilović, created in 2019, is now more topical than ever: referencing the fashion labels Balenciaga and Vetements, the artists investigate how data analysis practices within the fashion industry are used in targeted advertising on social media. How much this manipulation of the media endangers our democracy has been demonstrated, among other things, by the re-election of Donald Trump on 5 November 2024. What future do democratic systems have when the public sphere can be bought and sold and is flooded with false statements based on identity politics?
