THE BABA MANIFESTO: A Call to Modern Nonsense

link to the entirety of the manifesto here

TO THE ARTISTS, THINKERS, AND CULTIVATORS OF CULTURE:

We live in an era of “Bad Faith.” We are overstimulated by the glow of our screens, fractured by collective trauma, and caught in the gears of a society that demands a logic which no longer exists. In these tough political times, we must bring the art movement back—not as a trend, but as a formal, organized defiance.

Babaism is the organic digestion of the modern mind. It is a peaceful, vibrant revolt against the inauthentic. It is the glorification of nonsense as a condition of existence.

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I. The Roots of the Absurd

Babaism emerges from the wreckage of the 2020 pandemic, global conflict, and the fragmentation of our attention by digital addiction. Where Dadaism reacted to the industrial slaughter of the early 20th century, Babaism responds to the “brainrot” of the 21st. We transform the frustration of the scroll into the admiration of the irrational.

II. Transmuting the Negative

We believe it is essential to celebrate the positive impact of negative societal events. Trauma reshapes perception, opening new artistic concepts and creative expressions. Babaism takes the weight of political extremism and social isolation and transmutes it into a whimsical, self-aware practice. We do not ignore the darkness; we put it to work.

III. The Centrality of the Face

In our works, the human countenance—distorted, confused, or whimsical—is the primary vessel for the abstract. By giving a “face” to the faceless overstimulation of the modern world, we manifest the act of looking inward, confronting the self as both the subject and the creator.

IV. Authenticity and Nature

Following the existentialist call, Babaism insists on radical authenticity:

• Nature as Truth: Just as a tree rises naturally from the soil, a Babaist work rises from the artist’s innermost nature—raw and instinctive.
• Against ‘Bad Faith’: We reject the easy path of conformity and influencer-driven inauthenticity.

V. A Movement for the Collective

Babaism is for everyone—every age, profession, and medium. While championed by a generation whose brains were wired amidst socio-political turbulence, it is a universal sanctuary for those who choose the complex, genuine path over the hollow one.

“Babaism is a positive art movement with vibrant colors, metaphorically and literally speaking, that puts the existential anxiety to work. Let us celebrate modern nonsense and absurdity as a peaceful revolt.”