On the occasion of Freedom of Speech Week, the exhibition
“The Beauty and the Beast” featuring photographic works by Prof. Mareike Foecking from the Photography Department of the School of Design, will be on display at the University Library
from May 4 to May 31, 2026.
The opening will take place on Monday, May 4, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. in the University Library.
This is a translation of the German text by Prof. Mareike Foecking:
In the various adaptations, reinterpretations, and film versions of the fairy tale “Beauty and the Beast,” there are numerous images and metaphors that offer poetic insights into questions regarding the meaning of knowledge, subjectively experienced reality, and perception:
The importance of knowledge; traditional female roles as limitations on one’s ability to act; memory that is erased and regained; the unknown as a threat and beauty as an acceptable norm; an unobstructed view of the world versus one filtered through a medium; and self-reflection, connection, and love. Many of the themes addressed are being reexamined today in the context of technology.
Are the advancements, possibilities, and promises of rapidly evolving AI “The Beauty” or “The Beast”? Should we embrace it, question it, connect with it, or use it to reflect on ourselves?
With the widespread availability of AI text and image generators, new questions arise regarding truth and reality, representation and self-image, the authority to interpret and the meaning of knowledge, as well as love, beauty, and style.
The exhibition is made up of different series that have developed images addressing these questions through exploratory and poetic artistic works, thereby revealing some of the methods used in AI image generation.
Do the pictures show what the text says?
What happens when words disappear - do the images disappear too, and if the images disappear, how do the conditions that the images and words described change? Can you judge a book by its cover, or how might the content change as book covers change? Are AI texts contextualized within an academic framework automatically credible, or do they reproduce statements that appear meaningful but are actually generic and function like phrases? And is it possible, based on AI-generated images that offer a hint of how the machines work, to draw conclusions about how the machines handle words and texts?
The exhibition invites visitors to ask themselves these questions together and discuss them.
