Jessika Khazrik

Jessika Khazrik (b. 1991 Beirut, based in Berlin) is an artist, technologist, electronic music producer and writer whose indisciplinary practice ranges from composition to ecotoxicology, machine learning, cryptography, performance, visual art and history of science and music. Khazrik holds BAs in Linguistics and in Theatre from the Lebanese University (LU) and a MS in Art, Culture and Technology from the School of Architecture & Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she was awarded the Ada Lovelace Prize. In 2012-13, she was a fellow at Home Workspace Program in Ashkal Alwan, in 2018-19, a fellow at the Digital Earth and in 2020, guest faculty at HfK Bremen and the editor of the International Solidarity Page at the 17teshreen/October17 monthly publication.

While concurrently working as technologist, educator and researcher in different collective and institutional settings, her work has been presented internationally at the Beirut Art Center(LB), Sursock Museum(LB), The Normandy Landfill, the Stanford Research Institute(US), CTM Festival(DE), the Arab Image Foundation(LB), Les Urbaines(CH), Times Museum Guangzhou(CN), Haus der Kulturen der Welt(DE), Manifesta Biennale(FR), Amnesty International(UK & DE), Center of Documentary Arts and Research at UC Santa Cruz(US), her house, the internet and Theater der Welt(DE), among others. Her sound installations and sound performances have been commissioned by the Rewire Festival for Innovative Music(NL), Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions LACE(US), ar/ge kunst(IT), LUMA Foundation(CH), Museum of Modern Art Warsaw(PL) and Home Works(LB), among others. Her essays and short stories have been published in over 5 languages in Bidayat Journal, Kohl Journal, Zweikommasieben, The Funambulist, Amnesty International, Almodon and Ibraaz to name a few, as well as edited anthologies.

Besides her solo practice, Khazrik composes the soundtrack of the GEOCINEMA film and research project, often collaborates with artists and labels on album art and text, tours internationally as a musician and DJs, since over a decade, under different names. Her research-based practice, music and performances have been the subject of features in multiple academic publications, music and art magazines, investigative journalism platforms, computer science conferences, radio broadcasts, biennales and schools of architecture, as well as international legal organizations, protests and NGOs.  She is currently an artist fellow at SHAPE Platform for innovative music and audiovisual art from Europe(2021-22) and a principal investigator at the Research on the Arts Programme(RAP) founded by the Arab Center for Social Sciences(ACSS) and the Arab Found for Art & Culture(AFAC) for the project ‘Cartography of Darkness’. Khazrik has conceived and facilitated workshops and lectures at multiple educational instiutions including ADEF(EG), RCA(UK), USCS(US), Stanford University(US), Dutch Art Institute(NL), Institut de Recherche et d’Innovation(FR),  American University of Beirut(LB), among others. She is the founder of the Society of False Witnesses.