In the series of paintings, Beauty (2018-), the female body in the classical sense is absent, although Wagenknecht hints at it in the title Self portrait or Self portrait reclined nude. To create these portraits, the artist has programmed a Roomba (a robot hoover) to assist her in the painting process. The hoover spreads cosmetic pigments, pharmaceuticals, perfumes and skin care products across the canvas. These products are usually used to change and control appearances and uphold the image of perfection. Through this act, the artist reclaims visibility with devices typically used to conceal. Wagenknecht sees the end result as a reinterpretation of beauty and a contemporary portrait of a modern woman.
In one of the works Wagenknecht used Yves Klein blue, building on her earlier Alone Together series. She references Klein, who used women’s bodies as a tool to paint. In her reference to these Anthropometries, Wagenknecht conflates a critique of the male use of female bodies (both in art and in general). The Roomba takes over the labor of the woman, both in the painting process and in the domestic sense.
Wagenknecht also questions the artificial intelligence that drives products such as Roomba. AI brings up the same questions of control and visibility Wagenknecht proposes regarding cosmetics. Homogenized production within IT leads to the inability of systems to accurately analyze or view data outside of known demographics. Wagenknecht speaks to this vast othering through gesture, leaning into abstraction as an apparatus of communication. Her artwork implores the viewer to consider selected materials and their implications.