The Royal Academy of Art, The Hague (KABK) has appointed Anthony Faramelli as Head of the
“Obviously, it is hard to leave a team of staff and students who work so well together and whom I am very fond of,” Janine says. “They are the future. But I am very happy to be able to entrust this future to Anthony Faramelli. In the short time I have had the pleasure of getting to know him, I have been very impressed by his professional and personal qualities, and I am sure he will do an excellent job of carrying IMD forward.”
KABK is deeply grateful to Janine, who has led IMD with genuine care. Under her guidance the department has grown into a wonderful community of learners and practitioners, and she brought urgent, much-needed changes to the curriculum that will shape the programme for years to come.
Thank you for your hard work, Janine, and welcome, Anthony.
Anthony Faramelli brings a combination of academic research, professional practice and interdisciplinary experience to the role. His work explores the intersections of digital technologies, politics and mental health from a psychosocial perspective. He is currently completing his second book, The Mass Psychology of Technofascism. Before joining KABK, he was based in the Department of Visual Cultures at Goldsmiths, University of London, where he worked across Visual Cultures and Research Architecture.
Prior to his academic career, Anthony worked for more than twenty years in mental health care and homelessness services. He is also a trained group analyst and continues to maintain a small mental health practice. Reflecting on his work experience, he describes this experience as fundamental to the way he approaches design and education.
Anthony was drawn to KABK by its international outlook and the department's critical, interdisciplinary approach. "All one has do to see how interesting the IMD programme is to look through the archive of previous graduation shows. I have seen so many thought-provoking, impactful, and intellectually rich graduation projects.”
As Head of IMD, Anthony aims to build on the department's strong foundation while supporting students in developing new forms of critical and creative practice. He sees art and design as essential ways of responding to today's complex social, political and ecological challenges.
“Aesthetic practices are also collaborative and dialogical, forcing us to think and do from other positions. We are living through a time of uncertainty, shaped by crises ranging from war and displacement to economic insecurity and climate collapse. Artists and designers have an essential role in helping us imagine alternative futures. IMD students don't shy away from the big questions of our time. I hope I can help them in their explorations of new critical and creative practices of world-building.”
Anthony Faramelli officially starts as Head of the IMD department on 1 July 2026.
