Images of the Future
Alanus University appoints media artist Edwin Zwakman

Images of the Future

Alanus University appoints media artist Edwin Zwakman

Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences in Alfter near Bonn has appointed Dutch artist Edwin Zwakman to the professorship for Photography and New Media in the interdisciplinary degree program “Art-Education-Therapy”. With Zwakman, the university gains an internationally renowned figure in contemporary art. His works have been shown, among other places, at the Venice Biennale as well as in museums and exhibition venues in Europe, Asia, South America and the USA.

Zwakman combines photography, model-making, digital simulation and architectural staging. His images appear familiar and everyday – until subtle shifts cause the scenes to tilt. This is precisely where their unsettling quality arises. Zwakman does not show visions of the future in the classical sense. He creates situations that make tangible how strongly images shape our view of society, crises and future developments.

He also pursues this approach in his current research project “At Night I See the Future”. Together with partners from art and science, including Delft University of Technology and Wageningen University, he develops speculative visual spaces that do not explain the future, but make it experienceable. Even extreme or catastrophic scenarios do not appear as illustration, but as a concrete possibility.

“We are very pleased to welcome Edwin Zwakman as Professor of Photography and New Media at Alanus University,” says Prof. Johannes Brunner, Dean of the Department of Fine Arts. “His work strengthens artistic research and expands the discourse on photography and digital media as instruments of social reflection.”

Contact for press inquiries:
+49 (0)2222 9321-1944
presse@alanus.edu