Thousands of messages and images come to us every day. They flood us through various channels
such as social media television and the printed press. But do these messages and images
always tell the truth? Fake news and fake images invariably sneak in - sometimes they are
innocent mistakes (misinformation) sometimes they are extremely dangerous because they are
deliberately misleading (disinformation). Propaganda stereotypes and conspiracy theories
transmit disinformation and fake news. One reason why fake news and fake images are so
dangerous is that people often do not know how to spot the lies being presented as truth the
fake being presented as reality... Stereotypical ideas and conspiracy theories about Jews Roma
migrants LGBTQIA+ people and other groups poison society. But these false notions are not
new. During the Second World War for example antisemitic propaganda was highly effective in
using stereotypes and conspiracy mongering to create a false image of Jewish people. The Nazis
and their collaborators used this propaganda to facilitate a genocide of unprecedented
proportions. #FakeImages exposes how such a false image was and still is created. Arthur
Langerman a Belgian survivor of the Holocaust has been collecting antisemitic drawings
posters and objects for over 60 years. His collection is a response to the horrors of the Nazi
attempt to annihilate Jewish people and communities. The collection seeks to illuminate one of
the deadly ways in which lies facilitated the Holocaust. Mr. Langerman's collection forms the
basis for the historical part of the #FakeImages exhibition and catalogue. #FakeImages presents
antisemitic images from across the centuries with a strong focus on propaganda before and
during the Second World War and its impact on the Holocaust. #FakeImages also highlights the
mechanisms of manipulation that continue to have a major impact on contemporary ideas and on
society. The exhibition and catalogue show how to identify and dismantle contemporary fake
images and why this matters for everyone.
