Michael Rakowitz

Michael Rakowitz
Name	Michael Rakowitz
Birth date	1973
Birth place	Long Island City, Queens, New York City
Nationality	Iraqi American
Occupation	Artist, sculptor, installation artist
Alma mater	Columbia University, Northwestern University

Michael Rakowitz is an Iraqi American artist known for conceptual installations, sculpture, and socially engaged public art that interrogates history, memory, and cultural heritage. His practice frequently addresses displacement, looting, and diasporic identity through projects that mobilize craft, archives, and foodways to reconnect communities with lost artifacts and contested histories. Rakowitz’s work has been exhibited by major institutions and commissioned for public sites internationally.

Early life and education

Rakowitz was born in Long Island City, Queens, in 1973 to parents of Iraqi Jewish descent who emigrated from Baghdad. He studied art and architecture, earning degrees from Northwestern University and a Master of Fine Arts from Columbia University, where he engaged with peers and faculty associated with Conceptual art, Performance art, and contemporary curatorial practices. During his formative years he participated in workshops and programs linked to institutions such as the Whitney Independent Study Program, the Guggenheim Foundation, and artist-run spaces in New York City.

Artistic career and major works

Rakowitz emerged in the late 1990s and 2000s within dialogues around postcolonialism, restitution, and museum practice, producing projects that intersect with archival research and craft traditions. His long-term project "The invisible enemy should not exist" reconstructs artifacts looted from the National Museum of Iraq in Baghdad after the 2003 invasion, fabricating replicas from commercially available food packaging sourced from Iraqi diasporic markets in London, New York City, and Los Angeles. Other notable works include site-responsive installations such as "Enemy Kitchen," a mobile restaurant and political culinary project co-created with Omar Castañeda that has operated in contexts ranging from biennials to protest actions, and "The Ballad of Special Measures," which engages archives of intelligence gathering and state secrecy through sculptural interventions. Rakowitz has collaborated with communities, craftspeople, and institutions including the British Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Museum of Modern Art, producing both gallery installations and public works.

Themes and methods

Rakowitz’s practice weaves together themes of cultural restitution, diasporic memory, imperial histories, and the politics of collecting. He frequently uses materials linked to commercial networks and everyday objects—such as Middle Eastern canned goods, packaging, and locally made ceramics—to create palimpsestic replicas that critique narratives advanced by institutions like the Iraqi National Museum, British Library, and Smithsonian Institution. Methodologically, Rakowitz integrates archival research, oral histories, craft revival, and collaboration with communities including Iraqi exiles, refugees, and craftspeople from cities such as Baghdad, Basra, Erbil, Aleppo, and diasporic neighborhoods in Detroit and Chicago. His work references legal and political frameworks including the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and debates around repatriation advanced by entities like the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Exhibitions and public commissions

Rakowitz has exhibited at major venues and events including the Tate Modern, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, the Serpentine Galleries, the Venice Biennale, and documenta venues. Public commissions and site-specific works have appeared in urban contexts such as Chicago, London, New York City, Berlin, and Toronto, and have involved partnerships with municipal arts programs, museums, and biennials including the Arts Council England, the Creative Time public art organization, and the Public Art Fund. His work has been included in curated shows alongside artists and thinkers linked to postcolonial studies and diaspora studies.

Awards and recognition

Rakowitz’s projects have been recognized by awards and fellowships from organizations such as the MacArthur Fellows Program, the Guggenheim Foundation, the Nasher Prize, and national arts councils. He has received grants and honors from foundations and institutions including the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, the Buddha Foundation (where applicable), and residency programs at venues like the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. His recognition spans museum acquisition, critical writing in journals such as Artforum and Frieze, and public discourse in outlets including The New York Times and The Guardian.

Personal life and affiliations

Rakowitz maintains ties with academic and cultural institutions, having served as faculty, visiting lecturer, or critic at universities including Columbia University, Harvard University, Princeton University, and The Cooper Union. He collaborates with cultural heritage organizations, diasporic community groups, and craft networks across cities like London, Baghdad, Amman, and New York City. Rakowitz’s practice is allied with advocacy concerning cultural property, museum restitution, and the rights of displaced communities, engaging with networks that include curators, conservators, legal scholars, and activists.

Category:1973 births Category:Living people Category:American artists Category:Iraqi-American artists Category:Installation artists