For Hegel, the very character and definition of art is anchored in the past. This is the case for many artist, including Dadaists, who declaired that art is „dead“ – that its time has passed. Even in Tristan Tzara’s New York Times obituary from December 25, 1963 the artist and poet is quoted as having declaired that „Dadaism as a movement was dead.“ obituaries!

My initial encounter with Dadalenin was the result of an invitation to particpate in a project at the Cabaret Voltaire in Zurück, the birthplace of Dada during WWI – a time when death was first industrialized, and gas was weaponized to eliminate milions of people. Lenin spent over a year living on the very same street on wich Cabaret Voltaire was located-Spielgasse, or Mirror lane-at the same time that some oft he most important activities of the Dadaist movement took place. As diary entries, interviews, and common sense logic suggest, Lenin was part oft he Dadaist scene at that time. He was an admirer of cabarets and colorful life, and maintained a red haired mistress in Paris, who is mentioned even by his official soviet biographers.

Hugo Ball describes the first evening of Dada at Cabaret Voltaire on February 5, 1916 in Zürich:

„Towards 6 pm... An oriental looking group of four small men carring folders and images with them entered,... they introduced themselves: Marcel Janco, The Painter, Tristan Tzara, Georg Janco, and a fourth man, whose name i can’t remember.“

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