Michael Rakowitz
(Iraq, USA, 1973) interrogates social geographies on a local, regional, and global scale, working at the intersection of problem-solving and trouble-making. Among his first projects is paraSITE (1998-ongoing), a series of custom built inflatable structures designed for unhoused people that attach to the exterior outtake vents of a building’s HVAC system. Recently, he has been the recipient of the 2018-2020 Fourth Plinth commission in London’s Trafalgar Square; the 2020 Nasher Prize; and the 2018 Herb Alpert Award in the Arts. His work has appeared in MoMA, Whitechapel Gallery, MassMOCA, and Tate Modern, among others. Rakowitz is a Professor of Art Theory and Practice at Northwestern University.