The exhibition "Image Counter Image" presents artistic positions that focus on the critical analysis of violent conflicts in the media, beginning with the First Gulf War of 1990-1991 to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, and ending with the events of the Arab Spring of 2011. Media coverage has changed significantly in the last two decades. While the media image of the First Gulf War was based on a memorandum that advised units of the United States military to channel information flow to serve the military operation's political objectives, the images of the attacks on the New York World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 were transmitted on all possible channels. They showed a worldwide audience its own – and global – vulnerability. Through the internet and, more recently, via Web 2.0's social media, communication channels have been expanded to include opportunities for direct peer-to-peer exchange. Because of their decentralized structures, these channels are difficult to control and are used as an alternative source of reporting on political events (even if the role of social media in crisis remains controversial). The question remains who, in this changing media landscape, tries to secure control of both the production and interpretation of the content and what purpose it serves.

The show exhibits works by bureau d'études, Nin Brudermann, Harun Farocki, Omer Fast, Hans-Peter Feldmann, Monika Huber, Alfredo Jaar, Adela Jušić, Langlands & Bell, Radenko Milak, Trevor Paglen, Thomas Ruff, Roy Samaha, Wilhelm Sasnal, Ahlam Shibli, John Smith, Sean Snyder, Thomson & Craighead and Jasmila Žbanić.

Exhibition supported by Goethe-Institut Bosnien und Herzegowina and Institut français

Sean Snyder Aus / From Optics. Compression. Propaganda [kursiv], 2007 Index No. 078 (Primary Interest Component, US Department of Defense) LightJet Print Courtesy the artist and Lisson Gallery
Sean Snyder Aus / From Optics. Compression. Propaganda [kursiv], 2007 Index No. 078 (Primary Interest Component, US Department of Defense) LightJet Print Courtesy the artist and Lisson Gallery
Roy Samaha Following, a Week in Cairo, 2011 Cairo 14 inkjetprint on archival paper on aluminum, framed 6 x 4,5 cm
Roy Samaha Following, a Week in Cairo, 2011 Cairo 14 inkjetprint on archival paper on aluminum, framed 6 x 4,5 cm
Roy Samaha Following, a Week in Cairo, 2011 Cairo 14 inkjetprint on archival paper on aluminum, framed 6 x 4,5 cm
Roy Samaha Following, a Week in Cairo, 2011 Cairo 14 inkjetprint on archival paper on aluminum, framed 6 x 4,5 cm
Radenko Milak, from the series "What Else Did You See? I Couldn't See Everything!", 2011 oil on canvas, 40 x 60 cm
Radenko Milak, from the series "What Else Did You See? I Couldn't See Everything!", 2011 oil on canvas, 40 x 60 cm
bureau d'études Produire l'ennemi, 2012 [Producing an Enemy] (detail video) Mixed media-installation, dimensions variable Courtesy of the artists
bureau d'études Produire l'ennemi, 2012 [Producing an Enemy] (detail video) Mixed media-installation, dimensions variable Courtesy of the artists
John Smith Throwing Stones, Switzerland, November 13th 2004 (from the series Hotel Diaries, 2001-07) Video (color, sound) 11 min.
John Smith Throwing Stones, Switzerland, November 13th 2004 (from the series Hotel Diaries, 2001-07) Video (color, sound) 11 min.
Adela Jusic The Sniper, 2007 Filmstill One Channel video, colour, sound 4'9''
Adela Jusic The Sniper, 2007 Filmstill One Channel video, colour, sound 4'9''
Jon Thomson and Alison Craighead A Short Film about War, 2009/2010 2-channel-video-projection 9'39''
Jon Thomson and Alison Craighead A Short Film about War, 2009/2010 2-channel-video-projection 9'39''
Jasmila Žbanić Images from the Corner, 2003 38' Film, Color, Sound
Jasmila Žbanić Images from the Corner, 2003 38' Film, Color, Sound
Omer Fast CNN Concatenated, 2002 One Channel video, color, sound 18'17''
Omer Fast CNN Concatenated, 2002 One Channel video, color, sound 18'17''
Langlands & Bell The House of Osama bin Laden (Detail: still from interactive animation), 2003 Langlands & Bell with VSpaceLAB
Langlands & Bell The House of Osama bin Laden (Detail: still from interactive animation), 2003 Langlands & Bell with VSpaceLAB
Langlands & Bell The House of Osama bin Laden (Detail: still from interactive animation), 2003 Langlands & Bell with VSpaceLAB
Langlands & Bell The House of Osama bin Laden (Detail: still from interactive animation), 2003 Langlands & Bell with VSpaceLAB
Jasmila Žbanić Images from the Corner, 2003 38' Film, Color, Sound
Jasmila Žbanić Images from the Corner, 2003 38' Film, Color, Sound
Hans-Peter Feldmann 9/12 Front Page, 2002 151 inkjetprints, each 60 cm x 80 cm
Hans-Peter Feldmann 9/12 Front Page, 2002 151 inkjetprints, each 60 cm x 80 cm
Alfredo Jaar Untitled (Newsweek), 1994 17 digital prints, framed, each 48.25 x 33 cm Overall dimensions variable
Alfredo Jaar Untitled (Newsweek), 1994 17 digital prints, framed, each 48.25 x 33 cm Overall dimensions variable

As part of the programs marking its 75th anniversary, Haus der Kunst also shows the exhibition "Histories in Conflict: Haus der Kunst and the Ideological Uses of Art, 1937-1955". Occupying the vectors where global media industries, artistic reflexivity, and ideological power intersect, the two exhibitions undertake to explore the complex zones of mediatized image regimes and artistic propaganda in organizing public opinion. On June 9/10, Haus der Kunst organized a two-day symposium, which also focused on theoretical issues regarding the exhibition "Image Counter Image."