Varvara & Mar is an artist duo formed by Varvara Guljajeva and Mar Canet in 2009. Varvara (born in Tartu, Estonia), has a PhD in art from the Estonian Academy of Arts, a master’s degree in digital media from ISNM in Germany, and a bachelor’s degree in IT from Estonian IT College. She is also an Assistant Professor in Computational Media and Arts at HKUST(GZ). Mar (born in Barcelona) has two degrees, one in art and design from ESDI in Barcelona, and one in computer game development from University Central Lancashire in UK. He also has a master’s degree from Interface Cultures at the University of Art and Design in Linz. Currently, he is a PhD candidate in BFM at Tallinn university and a research fellow at Cudan Open Lab.
In their practice, the artists confront the social changes brought on by the development of digital technologies. The main topics in their work are artificial intelligence, kinetics, participation, and digital fabrication. Varvara & Mar have exhibited their work at MAD in New York, FACT in Liverpool, Santa Monica in Barcelona, Barbican and V&A Museum in London, Onassis Cultural Centre in Athens, Ars Electronica museum in Linz, and ZKM in Karlsruhe, among others. They have also completed various commissions, such as Neuronal Landscapes (2018) for the Estonian History Museum, and Wishing Wall (2014) for Google, which was presented in the exhibition Digital Revolution at the Barbican.
