Galerie EIGENHEIM Weimar shows from 21st February 2025 the opening exhibition Facts, Fakes and Fears for the annual programme 2025. It is dedicated to the topic of disinformation in the age of artificial intelligence and social media.
Image above: Alison Jackson, Boris, Trump Farage in Sauna , C Type Archival Print, 30 x 45 cm.
Participating artists: Gökçen Dilek Acay, Aram Bartholl, Benedikt Braun, Cosima Göpfert, Frankfurter Hauptschule, Alison Jackson, Tea Mäkipää, Sarah Oh-Mock, Julian Palacz, Michal Schmidt, Julia Scorna, Marcus Sternbauer, Anke Stiller, Addie Wagenknecht, Moritz Wehrmann, Lars Wild, The Yes Men, Canan Yilmaz, 庄睿哲 Ruizhe Zhuang
Disinformation or fake news is a global phenomenon in our information society and its influence on political, social and economic developments is almost impossible to keep track of. A reason for us, as a space for contemporary art and communication, to address this issue. As part of our annual programme, which deals with the concept of chain reactions and aims to examine the complexity of global connections, we would like to host an exhibition on this topic before the early federal elections on 23 February 2025.
The rapid and uncontrolled spread of information via social networks, combined with the generation of images, videos and text by artificial intelligence and the use of complex algorithms, makes it easy and effective to spread deliberate half-truths, disinformation campaigns, conspiracy theories or politically motivated propaganda. The spread of fake news can have serious consequences, including distorting public opinion, spreading distrust of established media and institutions and, in some cases, even fuelling violence or social unrest. But people seem to be aware of these influences! EIGENHEIM has heard of manipulative election interference, hybrid warfare, deep fakes and cybercrime. Even though people are aware of the importance of enhanced media literacy and the ability to critically analyse information and use trustworthy sources, it is difficult to question and re-sort the parameters of truth, as humans are evolutionarily reliant on visual and auditory sensory input to survive.
The fear and uncertainty caused by the loss of these points of orientation acts as a catalyst for the development of populist movements. The ability to distinguish between truth and lies must be re-learnt.
Whether video art, photography, installation, object, action art or painting, whether from Germany, the USA, Austria, Turkey, Finland or China – this exhibition shows the current possibilities of art production with the aid of artificial intelligence as well as the use of disinformation and deception as an artistic means to an end.
On display are fake editions of the Washington Post (2019), the New York Times and the New York Post (2009) by the artist group The Yes Men, which were distributed thousands of times in the US capital. These claimed that US President Donald Trump had to vacate the White House after a very short time (2019) or that the Iraq War had ended (2009). The work Bad Beuys go Africa by the Frankfurter Hauptschule collective caused a worldwide sensation. A supposedly stolen work of art by Joseph Beuys was allegedly delivered to the former German colony of Tanzania as a symbolic act of restitution. In his video Greetings from Germany, Aram Bartholl develops six alternative realities in the form of interpretations of the event by various AI models based on a single image from a video of an anti-war demonstration in Berlin. However, it becomes clear how much these deviate from reality. Anke Stiller puts together a collection of headlines from the Bild newspaper as a wall-sized collage to show the systematic use of provocation and exaggeration to spread fear and uncertainty, while Addie Wagenknecht shows an AI-generated video, Addie Wagenknecht shows an AI-generated video in which the artist takes part in a boxing match against herself, Alison Jackson recreates private moments of celebrities with deceptively real photographs and Ruizhe Zhuang creates confusion with a supposed city map of Berlin, which in fact corresponds to that of a large Chinese city.
WHEN?
Opening: Friday, 21 February 2025, 7 pm
Exhibition dates: Saturday, 22 February – Saturday, 29 March 2025
Opening hours: Thursday – Saturday, 4 – 7 pm and by appointment
WHERE?
EIGENHEIM Weimar
Gardener’s house in Weimarhallenpark
Asbachstraße 1
99423 Weimar
