Visual Ignorance and the Destruction of Knowledge

Authors

Keywords:

Visual ignorance, knowledge-destruction, agnotology, generative AI, deepfake

Abstract

This article examines the concept of visual ignorance and its role in the creation and destruction of knowledge in contemporary society. Through analyses of three art projects by Nora Al-Badri, Morehshin Allahyari, and Trevor Paglen, the article explores how visual strategies can challenge dominant knowledge structures in an age shaped by generative AI, disinformation, and political manipulation. The selected artists critically engage with the ways in which knowledge is obscured, erased, or reconstructed. Through my analyses, I argue that ignorance is not a passive void but an active, political force that shapes what is seen – and what remains hidden.

Author Biography

Maja Bak Herrie, University of Aarhus

Maja Bak Herrie is Assistant Professor at Aesthetics and Culture at Aarhus University. She works within the fields of aesthetics, media theory, and the philosophy of science on topics such as computational technologies of vision, scientific imaging, photography, and artistic research. Currently, she is part of the research project New Visions: Image cultures in the era of AI together with Lotte Philipsen (PI) and Lea Laura N. Michelsen (funded by Aarhus University Research Foundation). She is also editor (together with Tobias Dias) of The Nordic Journal of Aesthetics.

References

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Hjemmesider

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Paglen, Trevor: “Palladium Variation #4” Paglen Studio, 2023, https://paglen.studio/2023/05/10/palladium-variation-4/ (tilgået 12. februar 2025).

Uden titel – 2025 – AI og kunsten

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Published

2025-11-21

Issue

Vol. 3 (2025): Passepartout – Untitled

Section

Untitled

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