The Art of Contradiction: Digital Aesthetics beyond the White Gaze

Lecture by Ciani-Sophia Hoeder organized by the studio for Fashion and Styles at the Institute for Education in the Arts.

With the launch of RosaMag, a digital magazine for Black FLINTA*, Ciani-Sophia Hoeder created a virtual space that unites Blackness and Germanness. This alternative enclave offers a counter-project to the prevailing norms of beauty and style as well as the paradox of the in-between. A multifaceted reflection of life in the diaspora, from challenges to success stories. In this lecture, Ciani shares her insights from founding the magazine, highlights historical examples to illustrate colonial continuities in aesthetics and presents hopeful alternatives that inspire reflection.

Ciani-Sophia Hoeder is a Berlin-based freelance journalist, author and visual storyteller whose work combines social injustice, power imbalances and pop culture. Ciani is a Golden Blogger winner, Grimme Prize nominee and one of the Forbes 30 under 30. Her articles have appeared in renowned media such as Spiegel Online, SZ Magazin and Vogue, she has presented documentary formats for ARD Wissen and founded the award-winning online lifestyle magazine RosaMag. In autumn 2021, hanser blau published her debut book Wut & Böse. Vom Tellerwäscher zum Tellerwäscher will be published in spring 2024. Hoeder is writing about a topic that defines our entire society but makes many uncomfortable – class.