From fostering valuable international partnerships to curating critical AI-themed exhibitions, we take a look back at Irini’s tenure as our FutureEverything Creative Director
This month Irini Papadimitriou will be stepping down as Creative Director at FutureEverything, leaving behind an outstanding legacy and extensive portfolio of public exhibitions, artist development programmes, and art commissions. As she prepares to join Diriyah Art Futures in Riyadh as their new Director of Exhibitions, we’re reflecting on some of her most memorable moments to pay tribute to her milestone achievements as the Creative Director at FutureEverything.
Following on from her experience as Digital Programmes Manager at London’s V&A and Head of New Media Arts for Watermans, Irini joined FutureEverything in 2018 as our first female Creative Director, tasked to help steer the organisation from an annual festival into an international arts and culture organisation with a year-round programme of activity.
Cutting her teeth in the new role, Irini’s inaugural curatorial commission ‘Future Sessions: Atmospheric Memory’ with artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer marked a pivotal moment in the organisation’s evolution from festival to arts organisation. The ‘Future Sessions: Atmospheric Memory’ symposium consisted of a series of talks and debates exploring emerging technological advances and challenges looking through the past, present and future. Connected to the ‘Atmospheric Memory’ installation produced by Manchester International Festival and curated with FutureEverything and Science and Industry Museum, the work shined a spotlight on FutureEverything, highlighting the organisation as one of Manchester’s leading curators of digital debates and artworks.
Atmospheric Memory by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Cloud Display. Image Credits: Mariana Yåñez.
Irini sought to strengthen and expand the national and international profile of FutureEverything by developing and delivering an innovative and creative programme of public artworks, cross-sector collaborations, digital debates and knowledge exchanges. During her tenure, our global presence and relations with international partners flourished.
As a widely admired and highly regarded curator, Irini and FutureEverything were commissioned by multiple overseas arts organisations, including Onassis Foundation to curate ‘You and AI: Through the Algorithmic Lens’ in 2021.
An immersive and interactive experience exploring how algorithmic systems are constructed and defined, and how they impact society and our perception of the world, the exhibition premiered at Pedion tou Areos – Athens’ largest public park. Comprised of physical and screen-based artworks, online experiences, as well as conversations and participatory sessions on artificial intelligence, creativity and ethics, the exhibition travelled to Rome later that same year and formed part of the Maker Faire programme.
Zizi & Me by Jake Elwes, at You and AI Through the Algorithmic Lens exhibition, Athens. Image credits: Onassis Foundation
As testament to her outstanding curatorial ability, Onassis Foundation invited Irini back to Athens in 2022 to curate ‘Plásmata: Bodies, Dreams, and Data’, an exhibition of international artists’ work exploring themes and ideas around bodies after technology, constructed worlds, identities and boundaries, but also imagining new territories, connections and places of co-existence.
The exhibition, Europe’s largest outdoor exhibition of digital artwork, ran for three months, attracted over 500,000 attendees, and was featured in art publications ARTnews, e-flux, and Hyperallergic.
Selection of artworks from Plasmata: Bodies, Dreams & Data exhibition by artists, Dries Verhoeven, Spy, Refik Anadol, Kimchi & Chips, SHOWstudio, SUPERFLEX, Matthew Niederhauser, Elie Zananiri, John Fitzgerald, Ekene Ijeoma, and NOWNESS. Image Credits: Stelios Tzetzias & Pinelopi Gerasimou.
Irini’s practice draws on interdisciplinary and critical discourse to explore the impact of technology in society and culture, and the role of art in helping us engage with contemporary issues. There are clear, critical themes that run throughout her work, from AI and invisible technological infrastructures, to climate action and environment. She often approaches AI and digital tools from a non-bias perspective, exploring all that they can offer, while asking important questions about privacy, surveillance, and power.
In 2023, in collaboration with the Science Gallery London, Irini co-curated ‘AI: Who’s Looking After Me?’ an exhibition boasting 13 artistic collaborations – including 7 original commissions, and an accompanying events programme. Acknowledged as one of the best free exhibitions in London by Evening Standard, Condé Nast Traveller and Visit London, ‘AI: Who’s Looking After Me?’ was a timely project that took a questioning and playful look at the ways artificial intelligence is already shaping so many areas of our lives.
Over seven months ‘AI: Who’s Looking After Me?’ attracted over 30,000 visitors and was featured in The Guardian, BBC World Service, and artnet.
Looking For Love by Fast Familiar, presented at Science Gallery London as part of the AI: Who’s Looking After Me? exhibition. Image Credits: Science Gallery London.
One of Irini’s most notable works came in the form of ‘Future Focus’. Part of FutureEverything’s Digital Debates programme of activity, ‘Future Focus’ is an online series of talks and discussions bringing together scholars, artists, economists and other professionals to debate, exchange, connect and collectively imagine better and more considerate futures.
Starting life during the Covid-19 pandemic, and now in its third season, ‘Future Focus’ has explored ‘Art Hack Practice’ examining the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic in society and culture; ‘Fragile World’ a global journey mapping the “new” world; and ‘Money and Environment’ addressing the environmental impact of money production. These sessions have been curated by Irini and have been featured by Ars Electronica, Mozilla Fest, and The University of Manchester.
Irini’s curatorial approach also platforms critical thinking about global and social challenges through the lens of the local, with commissions, exhibitions, and events that are relevant to local people, artists and communities.
In 2022 ‘Unintended Consequences’ launched at the Quarry Bank Mill National Trust; an exhibition and public engagement programme exploring the impact of industrial revolution and stories of environmental change with artist Jen Southern. Jen’s commissioned installation ‘Gathering Downstream’ was open to the public for six months and attracted 130,000 visitors, and the project forged strong partnerships with the National Trust as well as other local organisations and makers, leading to ongoing future collaborations.
Gathering Downstream, an installation by Jen Southern as part of the Unintended Consequences programme at Quarry Bank, National Trust.
Passionate about supporting the development of artists’ practice, Irini draws on her own extensive knowledge, expertise and international network to create opportunities and creative development programmes that nurture the growth of artists at various stages in their careers.
Partnering with the British Council Jordan and the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts, Irini and FutureEverything co-produced and delivered ‘[Digital] Transmissions’ – an annual development programme for artists and creative practitioners based in Jordan to engage with experts, learn new digital skills and create artworks to share at the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts. The programme culminated with a study mobility grant that enabled participants to travel to the UK for a week of learning and networking encounters with artists, art professionals and institutions, and the chance to forge future collaborative projects and links.
[Digital] Transmissions UK study visit, 2023
In 2022-2023 Irini worked with 25 outstanding artists as part of the ‘BeFantastic Within’ programme, in collaboration with Jaaga’s BeFantastic team and FutureFantastic, an exciting and ambition new AI+Art festival as part of the British Council’s India Together UK Season of Culture, celebrating the remarkable bond between two countries and exploring our cultures. The BeFantastic Within programme aimed to enable artistic development, creative exchange and collaboration between emerging and established visual and performing artists, focussing on ideas around interconnectedness, climate emergency and the role of art and digital innovation. The programme resulted in seven new interacting arts installations which were commissioned and presented at FutureFantastic festival in Bangalore India, 2023.
FutureFantastic festival, Bangalore
Irini has been pivotal to FutureEverything’s portfolio and profile, and has made an enormous contribution to the success of our organisation which we will continue to grow through our programme of public artworks, digital debates and cross-sector collaborations for years to come. It has been an honour to have worked with Irini and we all wish her continued success in her new role at Diriyah Art Futures and we look forward to collaborating with her again in the future.
FutureEverything will announce their new Creative Director on May 1st, 2024.
“Working with Irini over the past three years has been a real privilege and a highlight for the British Council arts programme of Jordan. As the Creative Director of FutureEverything, she was the true definition of a genuine partner and collaborator that we, as well as our Jordanian partners, have found very inspiring. From the very early start of developing our partnership, Irini’s leadership, creativity and commitment have been instrumental in creating a long lasting connection between the UK and Jordanian art and cultural sectors through the Digital Transmissions Programme. We are grateful for all of Irini’s dedication, innovation and friendship throughout the years and we are confident that her creative touch will influence the cultural sector of the region for years to come.”
“As an academic who has worked with contemporary artists on various projects on contemporary socio-economic issues, I consider myself lucky to have met Irini with whom I have co-developed and collaborated on the “money and environment” project. Irini has exceptional understanding of post-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary frameworks that the evolving critical relationship between economy, business, finance and ecology, environment invite and require. Through my collaboration I experienced firsthand that Irini has an amazing knowledge of work done by the artists on environment, ecology, nature and is inspirational for people with whom she works because of her brilliant personality and incisive curatorial interventions.”
“Working with Irini to co-curate the AI: Who’s Looking After Me? season at Science Gallery London has been a privilege and a joy. We enjoyed working together with her hugely and appreciate her creativity, wisdom and care in co-programming such a timely exhibition and event programme.”
