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.
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 development, possibilities, and promises of rapidly advancing AI “The Beauty” or “The Beast”? Must we love it, question it, connect with it, or gaze at ourselves in the mirror alongside it?With the easily accessible AI text and image generators, new questions arise about truth and reality, representation and self-image, the authority to interpret and the meaning of knowledge, but also about love, beauty, and style. The exhibition consists of various series that have developed images addressing these questions through exploratory and poetic artistic works, thereby shedding light on 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 as well, 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 clichés? And is it possible, based on AI-generated images that offer a glimpse into how machines work, to draw conclusions about how machines handle words and texts?The exhibition invites visitors to ask themselves these questions together and discuss them.
