Ari Elefterin

Ari Elefterin is a multidisciplinary designer, somatic researcher, and educator living and working in Queens, New York. Through critical and speculative exploration alongside ethnographic participatory practices, Ari’s work is focused on experimental processes and the human body, seeking to redefine holistic human health and our understanding of our senses in our modern age. By making the body the priority of intersectional experience, Ari’s projects permeate the boundaries between design, technology, and fine and applied art. From works in contemporary performance, water advocacy, and sense theory, Ari asks “why” to discover how a deeper understanding of our sense of “touch” can create new objects, environments, and futurist possibilities.

Ari has pursued a wide range of work in art and design, viewing each endeavor as a study in how best to connect with humans. They currently run their own independent art and design practice alongside teaching. They hold an MFA in Industrial Design from Parsons and a BFA in Graphic Design with concentrations in Art History and Printmaking from Boston University. Ari has previously worked in-house as a designer and Art Director for Nike Global Brand Design, where they created global campaigns and supported the launch of the Nike Women’s department in 2014. They also worked as a designer on the Global Event Design Team at Converse. Their design clients range from major corporations to socially mission-driven startups. They have participated in the Joshua Tree Highlands Artist Residency (2017), the Chulitna Lodge Artist Residency in Alaska (2024), and have exhibited both art and design work globally, from New York to Bangkok. Ari has delivered academic presentations on participatory critique methods and somatic approaches to design at the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) International Conference (2017), the Design Principles & Practices Conference (2020), and the Columbia Art School Pedagogy 2.0 Conference (2021). Ari frequently hosts their own participatory workshops, most recently “Being in Touch: The Absurdity of Having a Body — Touch Tools” on Governor’s Island with Flux Factory, and “The Emotional Support Rock Field Trip” in Beacon, NY.

MFA in Industrial Design from Parsons School of Design
BFA in Graphic Design from Boston University