Artificial intelligence (AI) promises us longer, healthier lives, yet it also brings the pressure to “keep up” with constantly evolving technology. This is the paradox known as the Red Queen Effect—having to run continuously just to stay alive. The artist duo kennedy+swan’s exhibition The Red Queen Effect at Schering Stiftung centers precisely on this tension.
The show examines the social and ethical questions surrounding AI’s growing use in medicine and its impact on individual and collective expectations, fears, and fantasies. Faster diagnoses and more precise treatments symbolize healthier lives, while simultaneously increasing dependency on and pressure from these systems.
According to the artists, AI systems are never neutral solutions; they are always embedded in social, political, and economic structures. The works in the exhibition revolve around the promises of those who develop, control, and stage this technology as a panacea for the future.
Cultural Dialogue and Academic Framework
The exhibition is more than a visual presentation; it is supported by a robust academic and cultural program.
Panel: The Red Queen Effect in Healthcare Systems (21 October 2025): A conference and discussion with Prof. Dr. Petra Ritter exploring AI’s development, regulation, and reality.
Lecture: Body in the System: Promises of Algorithmic Salvation (8 November 2025): This lecture investigates how machines view human tissue, questioning the body’s position within the system.
Art and Science Dialogue: The exhibition fosters dialogues between science and art through panels at events like Berlin Science Week 2025 and conversations with Nataša Vukajlović.
Exhibition Summary
- Artist: kennedy+swan
- Exhibition Title: The Red Queen Effect
- Venue: Schering Stiftung, Projektraum, Unter den Linden 32-34, Berlin
- Dates: On view until 12 December 2025
