Trevor Paglen’s multidisciplinary practice exposes the hidden power structures and technologies that shape modern society. Known for his investigative focus on state surveillance, covert military operations, and data security, Paglen critically explores the role of images in an era of rapid technological development. In his recent photographic series, (UNKNOWNS, 2023), which features UNKNOWN #87113 (Unclassified object near the Cygnus Star Cloud) – a work created specifically as an n.b.k. edition, Paglen continues his longstanding scrutiny of military activities in airspace. Employing specialized infrared telescopes, the artist has captured nighttime images of several hundred unidentified objects – known as “unids” – that are monitored by the United States Space Force. These objects manifest in his photographs as luminous traces set against a cosmic backdrop of interstellar clouds composed of gas and dust.

Trevor Paglen’s (*1974 in Maryland / USA, lives and works in New York and Berlin) work has been widely exhibited internationally. His solo exhibitions have been featured at institutions such as Neuer Berliner Kunstverein (2023); San José Museum of Art, USA (2021); Fondazione Prada, Milan (with Kate Crawford, 2019); Barbican Centre, London (2019); Smithsonian American Art Museum (2019); and Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven (2013). His work has also been part of group exhibitions, including at Centre Pompidou, Paris (2022); DePaul Art Museum, Chicago (2022); San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (2018; 2010; 2008); Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid (2014); Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (2012); and Tate Modern, London (2010). Paglen is the recipient of several awards, including the MacArthur Fellowship (2017), the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize (2016), and the Electronic Frontier Foundation Pioneer Award (2014).