Overview
Erika Kassnel-Henneberg (*1973) is a conceptual and media artist with German-Romanian roots. Her work explores the complex relationship between humans, technology, and society.
In a world increasingly shaped by technological developments, her art raises a central question: what might a new humanism look like? This humanism aims not only to preserve the human in the midst of digital transformation, but also to rethink and redefine it.
Her works focus particularly on changes in perception, identity, and memory. These aspects must continually be renegotiated within an increasingly digitalized reality.
Central Themes of Her Work
At the core of Kassnel-Henneberg’s artistic practice is a critical examination of the consequences of digitalization. She investigates how digital systems reshape human self-image and social structures.
Her works raise fundamental questions:
- Can humans remain autonomous subjects?
- To what extent do algorithms, artificial intelligence, and digital systems influence our lives?
Through these questions, her work opens a multifaceted discourse on the relationship between biological existence and technological expansion.
Media and Artistic Methods
Kassnel-Henneberg understands her artistic practice as a bridge between analog and digital worlds.
She works with a wide range of media, including:
- video
- CGI (Computer Generated Imagery)
- artificial intelligence
- Polaroid photography
- collage
- mixed media
By combining these methods, she creates works that exist between reality and simulation, as well as between documentation and construction. Her art invites viewers to question their perception of a present that is strongly shaped by digital media.
Digital technologies in her work are not used solely for visual design. They also function as critical tools for examining the mechanisms and effects of these technologies on everyday life and perception. At the same time, the use of analog techniques such as Polaroid photography or collage emphasizes the tactile and material qualities of artworks. This creates a dialogue between analog and digital forms.
Education and Artistic Development
Kassnel-Henneberg’s work is rooted in an interdisciplinary academic background.
She first studied restoration at the Bern University of the Arts in Switzerland. There she developed technical skills and gained a deep understanding of the preservation of cultural artifacts. This training also fostered a strong awareness of the historical and social significance of art and cultural heritage.
She later studied Interactive Media at Augsburg University of Applied Sciences in Germany, where she expanded her expertise in digital technologies and media art. This combination of traditional and digital education forms the foundation of her artistic practice today.
Exhibitions and International Presence
Kassnel-Henneberg’s works have been presented in numerous national and international exhibitions as well as media art festivals.
A notable example is her solo exhibition “Uncanny Valley” at the Neue Galerie in the Höhmannhaus, part of the Augsburg Municipal Art Collections and Museums. The exhibition explored the unsettling feeling that arises when artificial systems increasingly resemble human beings.
Her work has also been shown several times at the FILE – Electronic Language International Festival in São Paulo, Brazil. This festival is one of the world’s leading platforms for digital art and electronic media and highlights the international relevance of her artistic practice.
Awards and Recognition
In 2013 Kassnel-Henneberg received the Krumbach Art Prize for her book object Heimat ist anderswo. This work, created from an edited historical photo album, explores themes of identity, belonging, and place.
In 2022 she was awarded the Augsburg District Art Prize for her overall body of work. The prize recognizes both her long-standing artistic commitment and her contributions to contemporary art and media culture.
Teaching and Cultural Engagement
Alongside her artistic work, Kassnel-Henneberg is actively involved in academic teaching. She has taught at:
- Augsburg University of Applied Sciences
- Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
- Augsburg Academy of Fine Arts
In these roles she shares artistic knowledge and encourages critical dialogue about media, society, and technology.
She also serves on various juries and supports artists as a mentor. Through this work she contributes to the promotion of innovative positions in contemporary media art.
Significance of Her Work
Erika Kassnel-Henneberg’s artistic practice is characterized by a reflective and multilayered engagement with the challenges of the present.
Her work raises essential questions:
- What does it mean to be human in a digital world?
- How do technologies transform identity and memory?
- What role can art play in times of social change?
By combining analog and digital media, she creates spaces where artistic, technological, and social questions intersect. Her work therefore makes an important contribution to the ongoing debate about humanism, technology, and societal transformation.
