Photo courtesy of Micayla Irmiter

Ian Carstens is a writer, filmmaker and curator from the occupied land of the oθaakiiwaki‧hina‧ki (Sauk), Meškwahki·aša·hina (Fox), Myaamia, Očhéthi Šakówiŋ and Kiikaapoi (Kickapoo), known also as the Mississippi River Basin.

His work explores temporality, non-human aliveness, multiplicity, as well as critiques of the archive, lens-based art forms and cultural institutions. He received his BA in Art Theory and Criticism from Luther College. 

Carstens is the lead curator/filmmaker of Glass Breakfast, an ongoing archival project. His video works have screened at various film festivals, including the Montana Film Festival, the Oneota Film Festival and Speed Cinema as well as on public television. He is an Associate Editor of Ruckus Art Journal and his arts writing has been published with Burnaway, Sugarcane, and Sixty Inches From Center. 

He has made work in partnership with such entities as: the J. Irwin Miller Architecture Program, Indiana University Libraries, the Collaborative Archive & Data Research Environment (CADRE), and Luther College.  He is the recipient of grants from the Columbus Museum of Art & Design, the Columbus Area Arts Council, Bloomington Arts Commission, the Iowa Arts Council as well as the Tanda program with Chuquimarca.