Isaac Kariuki is a visual artist and writer whose work centres on surveillance, borders, internet culture and the black market, in relation to the Global South. His work has taken the form of image, video, lectures, writing and performance.
He has exhibited at the Tate Modern, Kadist (Paris) and the Kampala Art Biennale among others as well as holding lectures at the Tate Britain and Yale University.
He is a lecturer in MA Contemporary Photography at Central Saint Martins and BA Fine Art Photography at Camberwell College of Art
He is the founder of Diaspora Drama a three-part publication exploring philosophical themes of the internet and technology.
His writing has appeared in publications including Dazed Magazine, Garage and New York Magazine.
Education
2017 – Central Saint Martins, MA
2015 – University of Kent, BA Digital Arts
Solo Exhibitions
2023 – African Bone-breakers..., Distant Gallery, The Netherlands
2018 – Coding : Braiding : Transmission, AfroTech Festival, London, UK
2015 – Skype Fashion Week, Meta Gallery Miami, USA
Group Exhibitions
2022 – Vertical Atlas, Het Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam, Netherlands
2021 – Pieces of Me, Transfer Gallery & left.gallery
2021 – Rainbows End, Creative Coding Utrecht
2020 – Power Play, National Gallery of Zimbabwe
2020 – Power Play, arebyte Gallery, London, UK
2019 – Africas in Production, ZKM, Karlsruhe, Germany
2018 – Anni Albers, Tate Modern, London, UK
2018 – Muscular Notions, Cob Gallery, London, UK
2018 – This is Utopia, to Some, Kadist Gallery, Paris, France
2017 – Transmissions, Protein Studios, London
2017 – Potentially "Flawless," House of Vans, Toronto, Canada
2017 – F/G Inclusive, Cosmos Carl, New York, USA
2016 – Gestures, Kampala Biennale, Makerere University Gallery, Uganda
2016 – Mighty Morphers, Gentle Dust, Jupiter Woods Gallery, London, UK
2016 – African Melodrama, Submerging, Cooper Gallery Manhattan, USA
2016 – Weaponise the Internet, Futures Exhibition, TATE Modern, UK
2016 – Boys Clothes, Tensquared Gallery Online Gallery, tensquared.gallery
2016 – Boys Clothes, Superchief Gallery, New York, USA
2015 – Skype Fashion Week, The Lowennial, The Low Museum, Atlanta, USA
2015 – Ctrl+Alt+Delete, Meta Gallery Miami, USA
Lectures / Talks / Panels
2022 – Pikselfest, Bergen, Norway
2022 – Universität der Künste Berlin, Germany
2020 – Yale University, United States
2019 – Kunstgewerbemuseum, Berlin
2019 – Somerset House, London
2017 – TATE Britain, London
2017 – TATE Modern, London
2017 – TATE Modern, London
2017 – BOZAR, Brussels
2016 – Uganda National Museum, Kampala
2016 – Alliance Française, Kampala
2016 – Buster Mantis London
2016 – Chelsea College of Art, London
2016 – Buster Mantis, London
2016 – UAL: London College of Communication, London
2015 – Frieze, London
2015 – Atlanta Zine Fair, Atlanta
Selected Press
Bloomberg – Interview: “Art + Technology: Systems”
The Guardian – Feature: “Pics or It Didn't Happen: Reclaiming Instagram's Censored art”
BuzzFeed – Interview: "This Super Viral Photo Of A Muslim Woman...”
Walker Art Magazine – Interview: “Towards a New Digital Landscape”
De:Formal – Interview
Creative Review – Interview: ““How Censorship Can Impact Creative Work”
Art Africa Magazine – Interview: “Artist In Residence”
The Fader – Interview: “5 Artists Explain How Digital Art Can Make The Real World Better”
Vice - Interview: "Visual Artist Isaac Kariuki on Identity"
Dazed - Interview: "how a new wave of poc artists is challenging britishness"
Contemporary & - Interview: "It's a Complicated Relationship"
Residencies
2020 – Somerset House Exchange
2016 – Kampala Art Biennale
He has exhibited at the Tate Modern, Kadist (Paris) and the Kampala Art Biennale among others as well as holding lectures at the Tate Britain and Yale University.
He is a lecturer in MA Contemporary Photography at Central Saint Martins and BA Fine Art Photography at Camberwell College of Art
He is the founder of Diaspora Drama a three-part publication exploring philosophical themes of the internet and technology.
His writing has appeared in publications including Dazed Magazine, Garage and New York Magazine.
Education
2017 – Central Saint Martins, MA
2015 – University of Kent, BA Digital Arts
Solo Exhibitions
2023 – African Bone-breakers..., Distant Gallery, The Netherlands
2018 – Coding : Braiding : Transmission, AfroTech Festival, London, UK
2015 – Skype Fashion Week, Meta Gallery Miami, USA
Group Exhibitions
2022 – Vertical Atlas, Het Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam, Netherlands
2021 – Pieces of Me, Transfer Gallery & left.gallery
2021 – Rainbows End, Creative Coding Utrecht
2020 – Power Play, National Gallery of Zimbabwe
2020 – Power Play, arebyte Gallery, London, UK
2019 – Africas in Production, ZKM, Karlsruhe, Germany
2018 – Anni Albers, Tate Modern, London, UK
2018 – Muscular Notions, Cob Gallery, London, UK
2018 – This is Utopia, to Some, Kadist Gallery, Paris, France
2017 – Transmissions, Protein Studios, London
2017 – Potentially "Flawless," House of Vans, Toronto, Canada
2017 – F/G Inclusive, Cosmos Carl, New York, USA
2016 – Gestures, Kampala Biennale, Makerere University Gallery, Uganda
2016 – Mighty Morphers, Gentle Dust, Jupiter Woods Gallery, London, UK
2016 – African Melodrama, Submerging, Cooper Gallery Manhattan, USA
2016 – Weaponise the Internet, Futures Exhibition, TATE Modern, UK
2016 – Boys Clothes, Tensquared Gallery Online Gallery, tensquared.gallery
2016 – Boys Clothes, Superchief Gallery, New York, USA
2015 – Skype Fashion Week, The Lowennial, The Low Museum, Atlanta, USA
2015 – Ctrl+Alt+Delete, Meta Gallery Miami, USA
Lectures / Talks / Panels
2022 – Pikselfest, Bergen, Norway
2022 – Universität der Künste Berlin, Germany
2020 – Yale University, United States
2019 – Kunstgewerbemuseum, Berlin
2019 – Somerset House, London
2017 – TATE Britain, London
2017 – TATE Modern, London
2017 – TATE Modern, London
2017 – BOZAR, Brussels
2016 – Uganda National Museum, Kampala
2016 – Alliance Française, Kampala
2016 – Buster Mantis London
2016 – Chelsea College of Art, London
2016 – Buster Mantis, London
2016 – UAL: London College of Communication, London
2015 – Frieze, London
2015 – Atlanta Zine Fair, Atlanta
Selected Press
Bloomberg – Interview: “Art + Technology: Systems”
The Guardian – Feature: “Pics or It Didn't Happen: Reclaiming Instagram's Censored art”
BuzzFeed – Interview: "This Super Viral Photo Of A Muslim Woman...”
Walker Art Magazine – Interview: “Towards a New Digital Landscape”
De:Formal – Interview
Creative Review – Interview: ““How Censorship Can Impact Creative Work”
Art Africa Magazine – Interview: “Artist In Residence”
The Fader – Interview: “5 Artists Explain How Digital Art Can Make The Real World Better”
Vice - Interview: "Visual Artist Isaac Kariuki on Identity"
Dazed - Interview: "how a new wave of poc artists is challenging britishness"
Contemporary & - Interview: "It's a Complicated Relationship"
Residencies
2020 – Somerset House Exchange
2016 – Kampala Art Biennale