“In a democracy, the citizens are supposed to have all the power, and the government is supposed to be the means by which the citizens exercise that power. But when you have a surveillance state, the state has all the power, and citizens have very little.”

American artist, geographer, and author

Trevor Paglen is an American artist, geographer, and author known for work that examines mass surveillance and data collection. His practice brings together art and research, with an interest in the hidden systems that shape how information is gathered, stored, and watched. He writes and makes work around these themes, focusing on the structures behind surveillance rather than their public surface.