Erika Kassnel-Henneberg

Start ► About ► Erika Kassnel-Henneberg

Erika Kassnel-Henneberg is a conceptual and media artist. Her work operates at the intersection of human authorship and algorithmic image production. At its core is an exploration of artificial intelligence as a cultural and aesthetic structure: as a system that shapes perception, memory, and the construction of meaning, thereby shifting our understanding of humanity itself.

The starting point for her work is the emotional structure of memory: fragmentary, layered, and unstable. Her visual worlds oscillate between familiarity and disorientation, without ever clearly settling into the category of dream or nightmare. Kassnel-Henneberg combines video, CGI, and AI-generated processes with analog techniques such as Polaroid, collage, and material interventions. This results in works that reveal tensions between control and loss of control, materiality and simulation, as well as documentation and construction.

In 2022, she was awarded the Augsburg District Art Prize for her body of work.

Kassnel-Henneberg completed an apprenticeship as a gilder and painter and studied restoration at the Bern University of the Arts (CH). She later studied Interactive Media at the Augsburg University of Applied Sciences. In addition to her artistic practice, she works as a lecturer at the Augsburg University of Applied Sciences and other institutions.

Links

BBK Schwaben Nord und Augsburg e.V., GEDOKmünchen, KV Aichach, Freie Kunstakademie Augsburg, Technische Hochschule Augsburg

Time-based media art at the interface between humans and technology

Erika Kassnel-Henneberg is a conceptual and media artist. Her work operates at the intersection of human authorship and algorithmic production. In this context, digital systems do not function as tools, but as structuring forces that shape perception, memory, and meaning—and fundamentally shift our understanding of humanity.

Her works draw on the emotional logic of memory: fragmentary, layered, unstable. Images oscillate between familiarity and disorientation, without clearly settling into either a dream or a nightmare. Kassnel-Henneberg combines video, CGI, and artificial intelligence with analog techniques such as Polaroid and collage, not to smooth over these states but to reveal them: as tensions between control and loss of control, materiality and simulation, document and construction.

Her works subvert the expectation of a stable reality. Images appear not as representations, but as the results of technical, cultural, and ideological filters. The concept of the “authentic” is not affirmed here, but systematically destabilized.

Education and interdisciplinary foundations

Kassnel-Henneberg studied restoration at the University of the Arts in Bern (CH) and interactive media at the Augsburg University of Applied Sciences. Her work has been shown at numerous national and international exhibitions and media art festivals – including at FILE – Electronic Language International Festival in São Paulo (BR),  BIDEODROMO – International Experimental Film and Video Festival in Bilbao (ES), und IVAHM – International Video Art House Festival in Madrid (ES).

In 2013, she received the Krumbach Art Prize for her work Heimat ist anderswo. She was awarded the Augsburg District Art Prize for her complete works in 2022. In addition to her artistic work, Erika Kassnel-Henneberg is a lecturer at Augsburg University of Applied Sciences and the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich.

Read more here

Statement

Erika Kassnel-Henneberg is a conceptual and media artist with German-Romanian roots. Her artistic work navigates the complex interplay between humans, technology, and society. In an increasingly digitalized world, she explores the effects of technological systems on perception, identity, and memory, thereby positioning herself clearly within the discourse of time-based media art.

This time-based media art concept portfolio understands art as a critical instrument for reflecting on social and technological upheavals.

New humanism in the digital transformation

At the heart of Kassnel-Henneberg’s work is the question of a new humanism. She addresses how humanity is changing under the influence of artificial intelligence, algorithms, and digital systems. In doing so, she critically questions the extent to which humans still act as autonomous subjects when technological processes increasingly influence or replace decisions.

Her works open up a discourse on the relationship between biological existence and technological enhancement—a central theme of her time-based media art concept portfolio.

Cross-media practice between analog and digital

Erika Kassnel-Henneberg sees her artistic practice as a bridge between the analog and digital worlds. She works across media, using:

  • Video
  • CGI (computer-generated imagery)
  • Artificial intelligence
  • Polaroid photography
  • Collage and mixed media

This combination results in works that move between reality and simulation, documentation and construction. The audience is invited to critically reflect on their own media-influenced perceptions. The conscious integration of analog techniques creates an exciting dialogue between past and present.

Education and interdisciplinary foundations

Her artistic career is based on a solid interdisciplinary education. Kassnel-Henneberg studied restoration at the Bern University of the Arts, where she developed a deep understanding of materiality, history, and cultural heritage. She then went on to study interactive media at the Augsburg University of Applied Sciences.

This combination of conservation knowledge and digital media expertise forms the basis of her time-based media art concept portfolio.

Exhibitions, festivals, and international recognition

The work of Kassnel-Henneberg has been exhibited nationally and internationally. Particularly noteworthy is her solo exhibition “Uncanny Valley” at the Neue Galerie in the Höhmannhaus of the Augsburg Municipal Art Collections. The exhibition focused on the uncanny nature of artificial systems that increasingly resemble humans.

She has also been represented several times at FILE – Electronic Language International Festival in São Paulo, one of the world’s most important platforms for digital and time-based media art.

Awards and artistic recognition

  • 2013: Art Prize of the City of Krumbach for the book object “Heimat ist anderswo” (Home is Somewhere Else)
  • 2022: Art Prize of the District of Augsburg for her entire oeuvre

These awards recognize her ongoing exploration of identity, memory, and social change within her time-based media art concept portfolio.

Teaching, jury work, and media culture

In addition to her artistic work, Kassnel-Henneberg is a lecturer at the Technical University of Augsburg, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, and the Free Art Academy of Augsburg. She is also involved in jury committees and actively promotes young artists in media art.

Her educational and curatorial work complements her artistic practice and strengthens the discourse on time-based media art in Germany.

Conclusion: Time-based media art as social reflection

Erika Kassnel-Henneberg’s work is exemplary of contemporary art that combines aesthetic innovation with social relevance. Her time-based media art concept portfolio invites us to rethink humanism, technology, and identity in a networked world.