Matthias Bruhn

Prof. Dr. Matthias Bruhn is a Professor of Art History and Media Theory at the Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design (HfG Karlsruhe), where he leads the DFG priority program project "Designing Habits" (2023–2025) and its predecessor "Adaptive Images". He is also a co-editor of the series Image Worlds of Knowledge: Art Historical Yearbook for Image Criticism and a member of the DFG Cluster of Excellence "Matters of Activity". His academic journey began with studies in art history and philosophy in Hamburg, culminating in a 1997 doctorate on Nicolas Poussin's correspondence.

• Co-founded ArtHist network (2001)
• Directed Berlin's "The Technical Image" research unit (2005)

His research spans art history, media theory, and digital humanities, focusing on the intersection of technology, visual culture, and critical theory. His recent work in The Digital Image DFG program explores adaptive images as social interfaces and their role in shaping digital interaction patterns. He also co-founded the KIM research group on AI and media philosophy (2018), addressing societal impacts of artificial intelligence.

His publications include monographs like The Image: Theory - History - Practice (2008) and edited volumes such as Images of Precision: Practices of Refinement in Technology, Art, and Science (2018). He has participated in international conferences like After Memory – Recalling and Foretelling (2024) and Image Servitude: New Dependencies in the Digital Age (2019).

Current affiliations include membership in the advisory board of the Stiftung Forum Recht and leadership roles in DFG-funded projects. His teaching emphasizes the relationship between traditional arts, media technology, and electronic production processes, aligning with HfG Karlsruhe's mission as a reform university.