BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 CALSCALE:GREGORIAN PRODID:adamgibbons/ics METHOD:PUBLISH X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VEVENT UID:18243@offbeat.amsterdam SUMMARY:Synthetic Genders: How Generative AI Reimagines Gender in Visual Cu lture DTSTAMP:20260415T191757Z DTSTART:20260310T190000Z DESCRIPTION:How does Generative AI reshape visual ideas of gender? Three ta lks explore\nsexualized and emotional coding in AI characters\, the reprod uction of gendered\nart-historical styles\, and AI analyses of gender in v isualart and movies. How do\nAI models learn gendered pasts and how does t his shape what becomes visible?\n\nThe Visual Imaginaries of Gender projec t investigates the potentials and\nlimitations of Generative AI (GenAI) fo r image generation. It goes beyond the\nknown findings of biases in who is represented in generated images by deepening\nour understanding of GenAI’ s artistic reimaginations of gender. During this\nevening we explore how t he different scientific and artistic research\nperspectives brought togeth er in the project intertwine and collide in three\ntalks:\n\nPiera Riccio will present her work through four key perspectives. First\, she\nexamines GenAI as a widespread cultural phenomenon\, exploring how users\nattribut e sexualized and emotional connotations to fictional female characters.\nS econd\, how gendered artifacts from historical artistic styles are reprodu ced\nand amplified. Third\, on continuities between existing digital beaut ification\npractices and AI portrait aesthetics\, where users employ gener ative tools to\n“enhance” their appearance. Finally\, she reflects on the circulation of abusive\ndepictions of women on social media\, highlighting tensions between freedom of\nexpression\, content moderation\, and the pr evention of gender-based violence in\nthe age of generative AI.\n\nEftychi a Stamkou will explore how visual culture reflects but also shapes\ndomina nt cultural narratives. Using AI to analyze a large collection of\npaintin gs and film scripts\, she asks: How has the representation of female\narti sts shifted over time and across cultures? Does a female director guarante e\na female voice on screen? And are women in paintings depicted as active agents\nor passive muses?\n\nMelvin Wevers will discuss how AI models enc ode temporal patterns. Drawing on\nhis research analyzing visual markers i n historical photographs\, he explores how\nAI learns associations between time periods and gender. From a historian’s\nperspective\, he asks: what do these models reveal about how we collectively\nremember and visualize t he past? These models don’t just generate images of the\npast\, but active ly construct which versions of gendered history become visible\nand reprod ucible.\n\nThe evening will conclude with a panel discussion led by Maarte n Wijntjes.\n\n\nSPEAKERS\n\nPiera Riccio is a Postdoctoral Researcher Mul timedia Analytics lab of the\nUniversity of Amsterdam\, working on the Vis ual Imaginaries of Gender project.\nHer research relies on techniques and practices from Computer Vision\, Gender\nStudies and Human-Computer Intera ction\, with a specific focus on the\nintersection between AI technologies and artistic practices. In 2025\, she\nobtained a PhD from ELLIS Alicante /University of Alicante\, with a thesis titled\n“Human Aesthetics under th e representational power of Artificial Intelligence”.\n\nEftychia Stamkou is an Assistant Professor of Social and Cultural Psychology at\nthe Univer sity of Amsterdam. Her research examines how norm violators gain power\nin art\, business\, and politics. She’s also studying the developmental root s of\nearly cultural engagement. Her work bridges academic inquiry with re al-world\nimpact\, serving as a consultant for businesses and regularly co llaborating with\ncultural institutions\, including Google Arts & Culture\ , Carnegie Hall\, Singer\nLaren\, and NEMO. She directs the Amsterdam Arts and Social Sciences\n[https://www.aartss-lab.com/] lab at UvA and organiz es the Where Art Meets\nScience\n[https://ias.uva.nl/news-and-events/serie s-at-ias/where-art-meets-science.html]\nworkshop series at Institute forAd vanced Study.\n\nMelvin Wevers is a computational historian at the Univers ity of Amsterdam\,\napplying multimodal machine learning to historical arc hives. His research spans\ncomputer vision analysis of historical visual a rchives\, word embeddings for\ntracking conceptual change in newspapers\, and phylogenetic diversity metrics for\ndiagnosing archival silences. He d evelops methods that bridge critical archival\ntheory with quantitative an alysis to reveal how institutional systems\,\ncataloging practices\, and t echnological constraints systematically shape\nhistorical representation a nd digital accessibility.\n\nNanne van Noord is Assistant Professor at the Multimedia Analytics lab of the\nUniversity of Amsterdam. His research li es at the intersection of Multimodal AI\nand Visual Culture\, with the aim of integrating equitable visual cultural\nunderstanding into AI models to bridge the gap between humanistic and\nalgorithmic inquiry.\n\nMaarten Wi jntjes (moderator) currently serves as Associate Professor of Visual\nPerc eption and Communication at Delft University of Technology’s Faculty of\nI ndustrial Design Engineering. As the chair of thePictorial Research Lab he \ninvestigates and teaches about three topics: Pictorial Analysis (with hu mans and\nmachines)\, Pictorial Experience (e.g. with optical devices) and Pictorial\nCommunication (quantifying perceptual differences between repr esentation and\nreality). His expertise extends beyond the pictorial\, exp loring how these\nprinciples apply to the broader multi-sensory domain. URL:https://offbeat.amsterdam/event/synthetic-genders-how-generative-ai-rei magines-gender-in-visual-culture GEO:52.3685931;4.8896879 LOCATION:SPUI25 - Spui 25-27\, 1012 WX Amsterdam STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:amsterdam-centrum,discussion,film,gender,spui,talk,workshop X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

How does Generative AI reshape visual ideas of gender? Three talks explore sexualized and emotional coding in AI char acters, the reproduction of gendered art-historical styles, and AI analyse s of gender in visualart and movies. How do AI models learn gendered pasts and how does this shape what becomes visible?

The Visual Imaginar ies of Gender project investigates the potentials and limitations of Gener ative AI (GenAI) for image generation. It goes beyond the known findings o f biases in who is represented in generated images by deepening our unders tanding of GenAI’s artistic reimaginations of gender. During this evening we explore how the different scientific and artistic research perspectives brought together in the project intertwine and collide in three talks:

Piera Riccio will present her work through four key perspectives. Fi rst, she examines GenAI as a widespread cultural phenomenon, exploring how users attribute sexualized and emotional connotations to fictional female characters. Second, how gendered artifacts from historical artistic style s are reproduced and amplified. Third, on continuities between existing di gital beautification practices and AI portrait aesthetics, where users emp loy generative tools to “enhance” their appearance. Finally, she reflects on the circulation of abusive depictions of women on social media, highlig hting tensions between freedom of expression, content moderation, and the prevention of gender-based violence in the age of generative AI.

E ftychia Stamkou will explore how visual culture reflects but also shapes d ominant cultural narratives. Using AI to analyze a large collection of pai ntings and film scripts, she asks: How has the representation of female ar tists shifted over time and across cultures? Does a female director guaran tee a female voice on screen? And are women in paintings depicted as activ e agents or passive muses?

Melvin Wevers will discuss how AI model s encode temporal patterns. Drawing on his research analyzing visual marke rs in historical photographs, he explores how AI learns associations betwe en time periods and gender. From a historian’s perspective, he asks: what do these models reveal about how we collectively remember and visualize th e past? These models don’t just generate images of the past, but actively construct which versions of gendered history become visible and reproducib le.

The evening will conclude with a panel discussion led by Maar ten Wijntjes.

Speakers

Piera Riccio is a Postdoctoral Researcher Multimedia Analytics lab of the Univers ity of Amsterdam, working on the Visual Imaginaries of Gender project. Her research relies on techniques and practices from Computer Vision, Gender Studies and Human-Computer Interaction, with a specific focus on the inter section between AI technologies and artistic practices. In 2025, she obtai ned a PhD from ELLIS Alicante/University of Alicante, with a thesis titled “Human Aesthetics under the representational power of Artificial Intellig ence”.

Eftychia Stamkou is an Assistant Professor of Social and Cultural Psychology at the University of Amsterdam . Her research examines how norm violators gain power in art, business, an d politics. She’s also studying the developmental roots of early cultural engagement. Her work bridges academic inquiry with real-world impact, serv ing as a consultant for businesses and regularly collaborating with cultur al institutions, including Google Arts & Culture, Carnegie Hall, Singe r Laren, and NEMO. She directs the Amsterdam Arts and Social Sciences lab at UvA and organ izes the Where Art Meets Science worksho p series at Institute forAdvanced Study.

Melvin Wever s is a computational historian at the University of Amsterda m, applying multimodal machine learning to historical archives. His resear ch spans computer vision analysis of historical visual archives, word embe ddings for tracking conceptual change in newspapers, and phylogenetic dive rsity metrics for diagnosing archival silences. He develops methods that b ridge critical archival theory with quantitative analysis to reveal how in stitutional systems, cataloging practices, and technological constraints s ystematically shape historical representation and digital accessibility. < /p>

Nanne van Noord is Assistant Professor at the Multimedia Analytics lab of the University of Amsterdam. His research lies at the intersection of Multimodal AI and Visual Culture, with the ai m of integrating equitable visual cultural understanding into AI models to bridge the gap between humanistic and algorithmic inquiry.

Maarten Wijntjes (moderator) currently serves as Assoc iate Professor of Visual Perception and Communication at Delft University of Technology’s Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering. As the chair of thePictorial Research Lab he investigates and teaches about three topics: Pictorial Analysis (with humans and machines), Pictorial Experience (e.g. with optical devices) and Pictorial Communication (quantifying perceptual differences between representation and reality). His expertise extends bey ond the pictorial, exploring how these principles apply to the broader mul ti-sensory domain.

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