Michaela Crimmin

Michaela co-founded Culture+Conflict in 2011, an ongoing, not-for-profit agency focusing on the role and value of art in the context of international conflict. Activities include artists residencies, scholarships and events.

She received an Arts and Humanities Research Council award in 2015 for an RCA-based project to develop an interdisciplinary network of interest engaged in the subject of art in the context of conflict. This culminated in commissioning, co-editing and writing for an online publication, Art and Conflict.

In 2016 Michaela co-organised and curated ´Promised Land` for the Goethe-Institut in London, a programme bringing together artists, academics and experts to address European policies and challenges. This was followed by two one-day symposia for Frieze and the Goethe in 2017 and 2018 to debate cross-cultural exchange. 

Since June 2017, Michaela has been art director (UK) on 4Cs, a 1.8 million euro, 4-year, Creative Europe project. Activities to date have included co-programming events with The Showroom and Tate in 2019, asking to what extent art can affect change when addressing issues of migration and access. An artist’s research residency by Palestinian artist Noor Abuarafeh at Delfina Foundation resulted in an artist’s book, co-produced with Jerusalem gallery Al Ma’mal. Forthcoming activities include the first UK solo exhibition by Adam Shingwak Khalil and Bayley Sweitzer at Gasworks in September 2020, touring to Spike Island in Bristol in 2021.

Michaela is also an associate lecturer at Central Saint Martins, UAL; and a doctoral supervisor in the War Studies department at King’s College London. She also works as an independent curator currently co-programming a 2-day symposium, Remaking Citizenship, on behalf of the Goethe Institute. She is a Trustee of Wysing Arts Centre; a member of the International Association of Art Critics (AICA); and the Higher Education Academy. A member of Eastside Projects’ commissioning panel for a major new commission for Birmingham, with Susan Philipsz selected. A regular speaker and chair of events for organisations that have included the Mosaic Rooms; King’s College London; the Whitechapel Gallery; MAAT Lisbon; the European Capital of Culture 2018, Malta; Ikon Gallery; Photographers Gallery; the British Council; Harvard University; and the University of New South Wales, Australia.