Beate Geissler

Beate Geissler serves as Professor in the Department of Art at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she conducts interdisciplinary research at the intersection of art, environmental transformation, and technological power structures. Her practice critically examines how human actions reshape planetary systems and subsequently redefine human existence within Western cultural frameworks.

Her educational foundation includes:

• MFA, Staatliche Hochschule für Gestaltung, Karlsruhe, Germany
• Major in Photography, Staatliche Fachakademie für Fotodesign Munich, Germany

Geissler's research centers on anthropocene theory, employing artistic methods to investigate the entanglement of knowledge systems and power dynamics in ecological transformation. She develops projects that expose how technological escalation reshapes human identity and societal structures, often through photographic and installation-based works that bridge academic theory and public engagement. Her approach integrates historical analysis with speculative futures, particularly examining Western cultural narratives that frame humanity's relationship with the planet.

Her distinguished recognition includes:

• Videonale Award from the Museum of Art, Bonn, Germany
• Herman-Claasen-Award (Cologne, Germany)

Geissler maintains active research funding through Graham Foundation production grants and Humanities Without Walls support. She leads Deep Time Chicago—an art/research/activism initiative born from Berlin's Anthropocene Curriculum program—and previously held a residency at the Max Planck Institut for the History of Science. Her work manifests in internationally exhibited projects spanning the Renaissance Society (Chicago), Museum Ludwig (Cologne), and Haus der Kulturen der Welt (Berlin), alongside four critical monographs that document her evolving inquiry into planetary transformation.

As a founding member of Deep Time Chicago, she cultivates collaborative environments where students and community partners develop long-term responses to anthropocene challenges through artistic practice, field research, and public programming that connects local Chicago contexts to global ecological discourse.