Harun Farocki's Parallel exhibition examines digital and analog image construction

Harun Farocki's exhibition Parallel features two distinct works exploring image creation. Parallel I–IV (2012–4) is a four-part video installation tracing computer graphics evolution from 1980s pixelation to contemporary hyperrealistic video games, examining the shift from representation to construction. The work focuses on structural visual behavior rather than societal implications, showing programmed landscapes with their own rules where characters interact with invisible barriers and 'twilight beings.' Ein Bild (An Image) (1983) documents a four-day German Playboy photoshoot, revealing the physical demands on models and the photographer's demeaning comments. The exhibition, reviewed in December 2014, opened six weeks after Farocki's death. It juxtaposes digital image construction through programming with analog photography's physical processes, raising questions about image-making technologies and their relationship to contemporary feminist concerns. The review notes how digital tools like Photoshop might alter the dynamics of image creation compared to face-to-face studio sessions. Both works address images created primarily for male audiences, with the review suggesting this highlights the need for more female perspectives in art.