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Raphael Arar

@rarar

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board @leonardoisast
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What can design do for democracy? A panel conversation on design, power, and participation, part of 2026 Portland Design Month. Featuring Raphael Arar (@rarar), Ron Bronson (@ronbronson), Daria Loi (@darialoixyz) and Andy Pressman (@andypressman).

📆 Thursday, October 15, 5:30pm
📍 Workers Tap, 101 SE 12th Ave (@workerstap)
🎟️ Free, no RSVP

🎨 Visuals by Kris Blackmore (@nebraskalaska)

📆 Check out the rest of the PDX Design Month (@pdxdesignmonth) calendar! Linked in our bio.

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On Thursday, we were honored to host a dinner for current Project Room artist Consuelo Wise, Artists’ Biennial curator TK Smith, and a few artists featured in his exhibition.

The Price of the Ticket is a survey of works by visual and performing artists who are defining and advancing Oregon’s contemporary art landscape. The exhibition closes today at @oregoncontemporary with Forum on the 4th, a reception in partnership with @sitkacenter (4 to 8pm). We hope to see you there!

@tksmith106
@consuelo_wise
@thepianofarm
@bulb_fiction
@tarot_obscuro
@rarar
@midorihirose
@agreatheight
@marcusfischer
@andrewlouishoward
@onesimo_white

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In this video, Instructors Raphael Arar @rarar and Eric Meier @graete97 introduce their upcoming Roundtable "What Is Democratic Economic Planning?," which begins this Season on April 30.

The Roundtable explores Democratic Economic Planning (DEP) as an alternative to the financialized market economy. With neoliberalism in crisis and authoritarian movements on the rise, it revisits a set of foundational questions that any planning model must confront: how to gather accurate information about needs and resources, what to measure and in what units, who makes decisions and at what scale, and whether markets retain any role. These are not new questions — they surfaced in the Socialist Calculation Debate of the 1920s and 30s, and have been answered differently across historical experiments ranging from Soviet central planning to Chile's Cybersyn project to contemporary participatory budgeting initiatives.

Across two sessions, Participants map the current landscape of planning proposals — from participatory economics to algorithmic coordination models that reimagine digital infrastructure for democratic ends — and develop frameworks for evaluating whether any given proposal is both democratic and practically viable.

To learn more about this Roundtable or to enroll, please visit the link in our bio and story.

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2026 Oregon Contemporary Artists’ Biennial: The Price of the Ticket, Curated by TK Smith
Oregon Contemporary from April 3 - July 5, 2026

Sahar al-Sawaf | Raphael Arar | Wayne Bund | Francesca Capone | Hand2Mouth Theatre | Kerr Cirilo | DeepTime Collective: Amanda Leigh Evans and Tia Kramer | Demian DinéYazhi’ | James Enos | Tannaz Farsi | Marcelo Fontana | Ebony Frison | The Black Gallery & Don't Shoot PDX: Taishona Carpenter and Teressa Raiford | Bean Gilsdorf | Stephen Hayes | Jaleesa Johnston | Joe Kye | Ambrin Ling | Katherine Longstreth | Todd McGrain | Mako Miyamoto | Anis Mojgani | Gabby Severson | Stephen Slappe | Ash Stone | Taravat Talepasand

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Our Roundtable, "What Is Democratic Economic Planning?," by Raphael Arar @rarar and Eric Meier @graete97 , will start on April 30.

This Roundtable explores Democratic Economic Planning as an alternative to the financialized market-based economy. With neoliberalism in crisis and authoritarian movements on the rise, it takes up the fundamental questions that any proposal for economic planning must answer: how to gather accurate information about needs and resources, what to measure and in what units, where decision-making authority should reside, what role markets might play, and how to handle distribution and motivation. These questions are not new, they emerged in the Socialist Calculation Debate of the 1920s and 30s, but they return with new urgency in proposals that range from participatory economics to algorithmic coordination models that imagine repurposing existing logistics infrastructure for democratic ends.

Drawing on historical experiments, from Soviet central planning to Chile's Cybersyn project to contemporary participatory budgeting initiatives, the Roundtable proceeds by mapping current debates and identifying the conditions under which planning proposals can be considered both genuinely democratic and practically viable.

In partnership with the International Network for Democratic Economic Planning (INDEP).

To learn more and enroll, please visit the link in our bio.

IMAGE: Diego Rivera, Detroit Industry, 1933.

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BIG NEWS GUYS! We’re extending the show! 🥂 Due to an absolutely mind blowing response, 𝘈𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴 will now run through April 26th. This does mean our closing yoga workshop and reception is moving as well. Check the link in bio to register!

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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT 🔥⁠ Raphael Arar⁠
⁠⁠
𝐑𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐥 𝐀𝐫𝐚𝐫 works at the nexus of complex systems, transdisciplinary design and arts-based research. His work highlights the social, political and economic implications of technological acceleration and human-to-machine interaction. ⁠
⁠
𝐑𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐥 currently heads Design at One Project, an organization building infrastructure for a new economy where resources serve people and planet, not profit. He also serves as an Executive Board Member at Leonardo, the International Society for the Arts, Sciences and Technology and a mentor at NEW INC, a museum-led cultural incubator from the NEW Museum. Previously, he led design for learners at Khan Academy, tackled ethical platforms of AI at IBM Research, taught media theory at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and designed over a hundred iOS apps with Apple.⁠
⁠
2026 Artists' Biennial: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘵⁠
April 3 – July 5, 2026

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More from @carnationcontemporary

Artists:
@mattbennettlaurents
@kimsmithstudio
@rarar

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A year in art. So much happened and it flew by, I’m forcing myself to stop and smell the flowers with this post. I got my first and second studios this year, formed incredible new relationships with collaborators and collectors, and explored what big big paintings feel like.

My personal life was wild as well, I got a puppy in April, started a new job in June, ran an ultramarathon in October, and took 4 international trips.

Huge thank you to everybody who supported me this year, it was a big one. Whether you purchased a piece, came to a show, hung my art in your business, or liked a post, it all means so much.

1. Me in the new studio
2. A painting I like (available)
3. First time working with a realtor in staging a home ❤️
4. Loaded up to install at @keenportland
5. A good one (sold)
6. Florals on paper (sold)
7. Inside of a sick clay mask
8. First day in the new studio
9. Last day and last work made in the old studio 💚
10. Lots of purple
11. Studio view
12. Another one I’m proud of, can’t wait to see her framed (available but might need to keep for myself)
13. Figure drawing night with @nolamaeceramics
14. Sauvie island peaches getting stretched and framed (sold)
15. Canvas pile corner on move-in day
16. Me talking
17. A favorite vignette
18. The stuff I don’t show you
19. Tiny spring flowers
20. My living room

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#abstractart #contemporaryart #artstudio #artcurator #interiordécor

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FINAL WEEKEND
Planning - Raphael Arar @rarar
November 1 — 30, 2025 Hours: Sat–Sun, 12–5 PM & by appointment
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EXHIBITION
In Planning, Raphael Arar extends his research-based art practice into the terrain of collective decision-making. The exhibition moves between earnest proposals and playful provocations, between technical schemas and poetic operations. Each piece navigates the design challenges of organizing ourselves differently, treating economic coordination as both practical problem and aesthetic proposition. The works assemble fragments of other possibilities, leaving open the question of what economic democratic planning might look like. -
ARTIST
Raphael Arar works at the nexus of complex systems, transdisciplinary design and arts-based research. His work highlights the social, political and economic implications of technological acceleration and human-to-machine interaction. His artwork has been exhibited at venues internationally including the ZKM | Center for Art and Media, The Science Gallery, Moscow Museum of Applied Art, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, International Symposium on Electronic Art (ISEA), ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Gamble House Museum, Boston Cyberarts Gallery, and Athens Video Art Festival. Notable commissions include Noema Magazine, Goethe Institut, Gray Area Foundation for the Arts, Intel Labs and IBM Research. Commercially, his design work has been featured in publications including Forbes, TED, Inc. Magazine, FastCompany, Wired and others.

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FINAL WEEKEND
Planning - Raphael Arar @rarar
November 1 — 30, 2025 Hours: Sat–Sun, 12–5 PM & by appointment
-
EXHIBITION
In Planning, Raphael Arar extends his research-based art practice into the terrain of collective decision-making. The exhibition moves between earnest proposals and playful provocations, between technical schemas and poetic operations. Each piece navigates the design challenges of organizing ourselves differently, treating economic coordination as both practical problem and aesthetic proposition. The works assemble fragments of other possibilities, leaving open the question of what economic democratic planning might look like. -
ARTIST
Raphael Arar works at the nexus of complex systems, transdisciplinary design and arts-based research. His work highlights the social, political and economic implications of technological acceleration and human-to-machine interaction. His artwork has been exhibited at venues internationally including the ZKM | Center for Art and Media, The Science Gallery, Moscow Museum of Applied Art, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, International Symposium on Electronic Art (ISEA), ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Gamble House Museum, Boston Cyberarts Gallery, and Athens Video Art Festival. Notable commissions include Noema Magazine, Goethe Institut, Gray Area Foundation for the Arts, Intel Labs and IBM Research. Commercially, his design work has been featured in publications including Forbes, TED, Inc. Magazine, FastCompany, Wired and others.

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FINAL WEEKEND
Planning - Raphael Arar @rarar
November 1 — 30, 2025 Hours: Sat–Sun, 12–5 PM & by appointment
-
EXHIBITION
In Planning, Raphael Arar extends his research-based art practice into the terrain of collective decision-making. The exhibition moves between earnest proposals and playful provocations, between technical schemas and poetic operations. Each piece navigates the design challenges of organizing ourselves differently, treating economic coordination as both practical problem and aesthetic proposition. The works assemble fragments of other possibilities, leaving open the question of what economic democratic planning might look like. -
ARTIST
Raphael Arar works at the nexus of complex systems, transdisciplinary design and arts-based research. His work highlights the social, political and economic implications of technological acceleration and human-to-machine interaction. His artwork has been exhibited at venues internationally including the ZKM | Center for Art and Media, The Science Gallery, Moscow Museum of Applied Art, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, International Symposium on Electronic Art (ISEA), ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Gamble House Museum, Boston Cyberarts Gallery, and Athens Video Art Festival. Notable commissions include Noema Magazine, Goethe Institut, Gray Area Foundation for the Arts, Intel Labs and IBM Research. Commercially, his design work has been featured in publications including Forbes, TED, Inc. Magazine, FastCompany, Wired and others.

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