Reuben Fowkes

Dr Reuben Fowkes is a Research Fellow and Co-Director of the Post-socialist Art Centre (PACT) at University College London's Institute of Advanced Studies (IAS), leading the UKRI-funded Socialist Anthropocene in the Visual Arts (SAVA) project. His work bridges art historical scholarship with urgent environmental concerns, focusing on Central and Eastern European contexts within global ecological discourse.

His research critically examines socialist environmental legacies, post-socialist ecological transitions, and artistic responses to climate change. Key themes include hydrological politics in mega-dam projects, agrarian histories through exhibitions like 'Potential Agrarianisms', and the role of invasive species in reshaping ecological narratives. His curatorial practice actively connects historical analysis with contemporary ecological activism.

Analysis of his 15 most recent publications reveals a dominant focus on the Socialist Anthropocene framework, exploring how state socialist environmental management informs current planetary crises. His work consistently challenges Western-centric art historiography through decolonial methodologies, emphasizing transnational networks and peripheral perspectives in understanding global ecological change.

Major research funding includes:

• Getty Foundation Connecting Art Histories grant (2018-22) for 'Confrontations: Sessions in East European Art History'
• Erste Foundation grant (2014-16) for 'The Anthropocene Reading Room'
• Creative Europe grant (2013-15) for The Danube River School

Through PACT and SAVA, Fowkes coordinates international collaborations examining socialist-era environmental policies and their artistic representations, with current projects analyzing hydrological systems and agrarian transformations as critical sites for understanding the Anthropocene's geopolitical dimensions.