Acid Truth
A salient factor in the illicit drug market, which is characterised by rave parties, is the absence of quality control. This means that users are invariably exposed to the risk of procuring a substance that deviates from their expectations. In the installation by Vegas Šimbelis, the ambiguous tablets become a metaphorical language about contemporary knowledge/information consumption culture, where, akin to the illegal drug market, there is a diminishing level of certainty. In the post-truth era, objective facts have become less influential in informing or shaping opinions, with information manipulation, disinformation, and fake news assuming a dominant role.
The decision in 2025 to suspend Facebook's fact-checking application appears to corroborate the hypothesis that social networks and the conspiracy theories they employ are prevailing over traditional media and verified content.
In his recent work, Acid Truth, the artist makes reference to his own 1997 video "+" (which is displayed in the adjacent room at RAVE NATION exhibition). Utilising his own 'fictitious' pills, he re-evaluates the concepts of the work he created 28 years ago, seeking connections to contemporary global issues. The work interrogates the veracity of contemporary phenomena, emphasising their superficial nature, as evidenced by the prevalence of social networks, the dissemination of misinformation, and the manipulation of information.
The imprints of the tablets, which can be regarded as icons of social media, refer to these processes through iconography.
