The work Elektrowesen uses surrealistic portraits to raise questions about the relationship between our analogue-physical existence and the virtual digitality that is increasingly shaping how identity is constructed. The project presents photogenic portraits created through the targeted and controlled use of image-generating AI.

We are increasingly experiencing a world in which we live with two identities. One is our physical identity, which we inhabit as human beings in direct, real-world interactions. At the same time, we cultivate a digital identity – visible in social media or online meetings. These two spheres of existence come with different tasks and modes of interaction, some of which can have existential consequences.

As a society, we are shifting from physical, analogue being to new forms of interaction shaped by the expanding influence of digitality. This transformation gives rise to new questions around identity. As a visualisation of this future, the Elektrowesen offer an artistic expression of these evolving reflections.

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Kai Brüninghaus (*1964) works both as an artist using photographic images and in the field of applied visual communication. He sees photography as a tool for expression—one that allows him to create images that go beyond traditional photographic conventions. His approach is marked by experimentation and a research-driven process. From 1985 to 1991, he studied at the former Werkkunstschule Cologne and became a master student under Professor Stefan Wewerka. Brüninghaus is also an appointed member of the German Photographic Academy (DFA).