Looking At The Lure of the Image

In this dialogical format, Media Scholar Gwen Schlüter and Curator Boaz Levin guide visitors through the group exhibition The Lure of the Image. The tour explores the visual language of the internet and its influence on our perception. It focuses on the question of how curiosity and the desire to understand things, to belong, or to become part of digital communities, subcultures, and (protest) movements appeal to and influence people. What opportunities for self-determination arise when engaging with digital images? In addition, the tour explores how bodies are represented, shaped, and co-created on the internet, and how these developments are linked to current political trends.

About the exhibition
The fourteen artists presented in this exhibition engage with visual phenomena that serve as vehicles for online communication, criticism, and humor. They highlight the crucial role images play in shaping our social, cultural, and political landscapes. The artworks track the complex mechanisms of the lure in digital space, shedding light on how images and their underlying structures—from algorithms to datasets—direct our attention, provoke emotions, and influence opinions, often leading us astray or sending us in the wrong direction. 

Gwen Schlüter studied Gender Studies and Educational Science at Humboldt University of Berlin (B.A.) and Communication in Social and Economic Contexts at the Berlin University of the Arts (M.A.). After completing her studies, she worked as a research assistant on the subproject B04: Appropriating – Remixing – Sharing: How Internet Memes Intervene within the Collaborative Research Center Intervening Arts. Her research focuses on the intersection of feminist theory, media theory, and digital and pop culture.