In the month of November 2016, San Francisco celebrates the hundredth anniversary of the emergence of Dada, the influential artistic and literary movement that originated in the earlier part of the 20th century. Dada stood out for its attacks on bourgeois sensibilities, its challenge to the hierarchies of gallery and museum culture, and its questioning of the purpose of art and the role of the artist in society. Dadaists attacked the norms of traditional art production and crafted a radical agenda that took to task not only the traditional canon of European art but of Dada itself.

Through lectures, roundtables, performances, film screenings, and art installations, the Dada World Fair will be exploring the multiple dimensions of an art movement that defied description in its day and that left an indelible influence on the world of art, pop culture, and beyond.

Dada World Fair is produced by City Lights Booksellers in conjunction with numerous local and international partners. The celebration in San Francisco is happening concurrently with celebrations around the world. The largest of these celebrations took place in Zurich, Switzerland in February of 2016. San Francisco and Zurich share a sister-city status. City Lights is please to be working together with the Cultural Services of the Swiss Consulate and Swissnex in the development of the program.  

Events will take place all around San Francisco. Keep a close eye on the calendar. Dada World Fair is a work in progress. The schedule will change according to the weather. Events that appear solid may be more fluid and events that appear fluid may be more solid. The borders between art and life will once again be tested. We may never be able to fully explain what Dada is, but you may be able to experience the mystery in all of its incendiary magnificence.