Matthias Grund (b. 1995)
is a Cologne-based artist, designer and researcher who explores the structural and aesthetic aspects of synthetic imagery. Situated between contemporary image-making and media theory, his work focuses on the media-specific qualities of images synthesised through generative systems.
Grund proposes viewing generative imagery not as a simulation of legacy media, but as a distinct ontological category defined by its own technical infrastructures and cultural practices. Working across imaging processes, video, and installation, he examines the ‘surface’ of synthetic outputs as situated material knowledge. By treating these surfaces as sites of meaning rather than mere symptoms of hidden mechanisms, Grund’s work renders visible the inherent visual cultures and underlying logics of generative systems.
His artistic research has been presented at numerous academic conferences and exhibited at institutions including the Museum für Angewandte Kunst Köln (MAKK), Kunstmuseum Karlsruhe, the Deichtorhallen Hamburg, Fundación Ludwig de Cuba, and Kunsthalle Trier. Grund is a recipient of the Kölner Design Preis and Gute Aussichten 2023/24.
Contact:
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