We are excited to introduce the three newly selected fellows joining ArchivorumARK 2.0: Paola Abbiati, Ramy Frahat, and Alena Podnebennaia.
ArchivorumARK is Archivorum’s biennial research fellowship programme dedicated to the creation, care, and activation of living artist archives. Bringing together postgraduate researchers and contemporary artists through long-term collaboration, the programme approaches the archive as an evolving process shaped by research, dialogue, ethics, and intergenerational exchange.
Chosen from a remarkable number of international applications, the fellows distinguished themselves through their commitment to archival practices, their understanding of the archival profession, and their ability to bring together different disciplines with critical and analytical depth.
Over the course of 18–24 months, the fellows will develop archival methodologies, critical writing, and research-based publications in close dialogue with participating artists, to be announced soon.
*Paola Abbiati is an archivist and researcher. She received a BA in Communication Design from Politecnico di Milano and continued her MA studies at IUAV University of Venice. She later took part in the research project “Invisible Cultural Heritage” funded by the European Social Fund at IUAV University in collaboration with the Ugo and Olga Levi Foundation. Her research and practice focus on valorising cultural heritage that often remain invisible, bringing to light the forgotten voices in the history of graphic design. Her experience as an archivist shaped her approach to various forms of archival material, thereby combining a design-oriented approach with archival practice.
*Ramy Frahat is an independent curator and researcher working at the intersection of contemporary art, science, and technology. With an interdisciplinary background in political science, design, computation, and visual arts, he studied at the University of Milan, IUAV University, Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University, and the joint Design and Computation programme at Berlin University of the Arts and the Technical University of Berlin. His current research investigates the relationship between archival systems, topology, and computational processes, with particular attention to AI-generated narratives, digital memory, and speculative forms of knowledge production.
*Alena Podnebennaia is a historian, researcher, and visual artist based in Vienna, Austria. She holds a Master’s in Comparative History from Central European University and a BA in Art History from Saint Petersburg State University. She has worked as a museum educator at the Scientific-Research Museum of the Russian Academy of Arts and produced an independent art history podcast. For several years, her research focused on women in industry and labor in Soviet and American interwar art, an interest rooted in her family archive. After leaving Russia following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, her focus shifted toward anti-war and anti-authoritarian art practices. She currently documents participatory protest movements in contemporary Russia and the politics of visibility under censorship.
We are really excited to support the development of their research and to see the conversations and ideas their work will generate in the months ahead.