Fine Flu Journal Fine Flu Journal- june 2014 | Page 28

DADA DOLL(s)

Dada or Dadaism was an art movement of the European avant-garde in the
early 20th century. Dada is said to have begun in Switzerland in 1916. It was
born as a reaction to the breakout of World War I. Dada was against any
fragment of reason, prizing irrationality and intuition.
The name Dada is believed to have originated either from the French word
‘’hobbyhorse’’ or from the Romanian artists Tristan Tzara's and Marcel
Janco's frequent use of the words "da, da," meaning "yes, yes" in
the Romanian language. However, there is another strong possibility about
the origin of the word. Dada means ‘’sister’’ in Swahili language and it is quite
possible that the artists used this word to insinuate the strong relations among
them, relations similar to those between siblings. After all they believed that
they belonged to a different kind of people, a kind that could constitute a
family with certain bonds and principles among them.
Hannah Höch is as the only German woman who participated in Dadaism
despite the resentment of her male colleagues who loved proclaiming their
open- mindness but failed to show it actively when it came to the female
artists.

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