Mark Farid

Biography

Mark Farid is an artist, researcher, and Senior Lecturer in Fine Art at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, and a PhD candidate at the Creative Computing Institute. His practice explores the intersection between the virtual and physical worlds, examining how new technologies shape individuals’ sense of self and collective perception. Farid’s work draws on hacker ethics and focuses on privacy policies, surveillance technologies, and advocacy for data privacy and protection. Collectively, his projects form a critique of contemporary social, legal, and political structures.

Farid graduated from Kingston University, London, with a First Class (Hons) degree in Fine Art (2014) and has given talks and participated in group and solo exhibitions across England, France, Germany, Spain, Denmark, Finland, Slovenia, the UAE, and Japan. He delivered a TEDx talk in 2017 on his first two projects, “Data Shadow” (2015) and “Poisonous Antidote” (2016). Farid was selected for the Sundance Institute’s “New Frontier” Fellowship in Utah, USA (2016), for his VR project “Seeing I”. “Seeing I” was piloted as a solo exhibition at Ars Electronica Digital Arts Festival (2019) and later developed under the European Media Artist Residency Exchange, as part of the Creative Cultures Programme of the European Union (2020–21).

In 2022, Farid received European Commission Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation funding to develop his browser extension “Invisible Voice”, which was later presented at the Pompidou Centre, France (2022). In 2023, he received European Commission S+T+ARTS funding to further develop “Invisible Voice” into a mobile app, cross-device platform, and interactive artwork, which was exhibited at Ars Electronica Digital Arts Festival, Austria (2024).

MEDIA
Farid’s projects have been featured by media outlets worldwide. He frequently contributes to discussions on art and technology, appearing on BBC2, Fox News, Sky News, France24, Arte, BBC Radio 4, BBC 5Live, Times Radio, The Telegraph, The Guardian, The Times of India, The New Statesman, and many more.

FUNDING AND PARTNERSHIPS
Farid has received funding and collaborated with organisations including the European Commission (EU), Creative Cultures Programme of the European Union (EU), S+T+ARTS (EU), Arts Council England (UK), the University of Cambridge (UK), the Sundance Institute (USA), CPH:DOX (DK), the National Theatre (UK), New York University (UAE), University of the Arts London (UK), Ravensbourne University (UK), arebyte Gallery (UK), Gazelli Art House (UK), Collusion (UK), and Body>Data>Space (UK), among others.