Greif Alumni: Q&A with Caroline Heinecke

We periodically invite our alumni, artists we have featured in the past, to share their new work and projects with us. Caroline Heinecke was part of the Photography Online Only Auction that Der Greif and Grisebach held between January 19 to 28, 2024. Heinecke’s new project “Paw Paradox” was recently exhibited at Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien in Berlin. The series applies AI and traditional digital still life photography to research on Middle Ages’ animal trials. These trials ranged from murder charges against pigs to ecclesiastical excommunication procedures against grasshoppers and beetles. Even the public hanging of a circus elephant finds its place in the annals of history. These trials, albeit only a small part of the legal history between humans and animals, attest to a fascinating interplay of legal structures and human interaction with animals.

Der Greif: How would you describe your artistic work?

When a topic piques my curiosity, I try to explore it artistically as a way to explain the world to myself. My work is driven by a deep curiosity that often leads me to delve into niche subjects that I believe must be shared with the world.

Der Greif: What is your relationship to photography as an object itself when becoming a fine art product? Still life photography is something you need to continue to produce and inquire about. We all consume so many images on-screen now. But the object of the photograph is such a dynamic thing as well. What do you appreciate about the printed medium, and how it has changed over time?

For me, photography in the context of art holds the same value as other artworks, and I see no reason to make a distinction. It is a creative tool that can be used as a means of expression. I've noticed that due to daily consumption of a variety of images, whether online or at exhibitions, I remember very little nowadays. It used to be different. Nowadays, I am more convinced by the content of my work. If a topic appeals to me and the concept is convincing, I view the images with a completely different perspective. I still appreciate the printed medium because it gives works a different kind of appreciation and less ephemeral treatment. The holistic experience — from tactile use to the scent of printed pages to the attention to detail that goes into such a project — can be particularly highlighted through a printed medium.

Der Greif: What has the process of the "Paw Paradox" project been?

I became aware of animal trials in the Middle Ages through a history podcast and initially could hardly believe it. This chapter of human history seemed so absurd to me that I had to continue researching. Everyone I told about it was also astonished and could hardly imagine such trials. This inspired me to develop a photographic work on this theme. Since these trials mainly occurred in the Middle Ages and there is no visual material about them, I began visualizing individual documented stories. Initially, I photographed and staged prepared animals, but quickly encountered creative limitations. Therefore, I eventually experimented with Artificial Intelligence.

Der Greif: How does AI enter your creative process?

The work "Paw Paradox" is so far the only one where I have used Artificial Intelligence. This opened up an exciting meta-level by linking the legal question of the image with the legal question attributed to animals. Given the scant evidence of the documented court cases and the hypothesis that these animal trials may have been fictitious cases for aspiring jurists, it is not certain whether they actually occurred. Therefore, I find the use of AI justifiable, as my aim is not to depict reality.

Der Greif: "Paw Paradox" was part of a group show at Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien in Berlin. How do you go about circulating your work through collective exhibitions, where works get re-contextualized on multiple levels?

I was fortunate to have my own space in this group exhibition, which I could stage as a courtroom. This set my work apart from the others in the group. There was no overarching theme for the exhibition. When I have influence over the exhibition design, I always try to incorporate the wall or the space to clarify the belonging of my work.

Der Greif: You touch upon the objectification of animals through your work. What's your personal take on this way of representing animals?

Animals are often viewed as objects for several historical, legal, and cultural reasons. In my photographic work, I intentionally portrayed animals as objects to critically question this perspective and provoke reflection. Through this artistic decision, I aimed to highlight the historical and legal degradation of animals to mere property and at the same time encourage viewers to reflect on the ethical and moral implications of this perspective.