Presented by Bienvenidos Dystopia in partnership with The Museum of Russian Art and MPLSArt.com.

Part variety show, part dance party, and part salon, Bienvenidos Dystopia brings together artists from across the Twin Cities for an evening of visual art, music, performance, poetry, and conversation.

Taking place within TMORA’s exhibition Posters of the Soviet Era, the event uses dystopian fiction, satire, and contemporary artistic practice to explore questions of power, technology, climate, media, and democracy. Through rapid-fire presentations across artistic disciplines, the evening examines the uncertainties of our present moment while celebrating the enduring role of artists in times of social change.

Artistic Statement

¡Bienvenidos Dystopia!

The year is 2026. The United States begins to slide into social collapse. After years of power grabs, oligarchs have successfully staged a bloodless coup and begin their work to transform the republic into a corporate state. With the world’s climate on the brink of collapse, the country experiences “once-in-a-lifetime” weather catastrophes several times a year. Rapidly advancing technologies erode personal privacy and freedoms as algorithms and AI grow more invasive and influential in daily life. The graphic realities of international, U.S.-backed genocides undercut domestic state and media propaganda. At home, the sick cannot afford skyrocketing drug prices or medical costs, while an epidemic of gun violence sweeps the country. Mass shootings in schools and public spaces become routine, and police kill record numbers of citizens.

The sun is shining. People continue to make their art.

Celebrate Minneapolis arts and culture before it’s all gone.

Saturday, August 15 | 7:00 – 10:00 PM
Doors open at 6:30 PM

TICKETS: $14 advance | $20 at the door