Lilly Markaki

Lilly Markaki, PhD, is a scholar and cultural producer working across critical theory, visual culture studies, media theory, and Black studies. Adopting an interdisciplinary, transversal theoretical approach, their research investigates the relationship between aesthetics and politics, engaging with issues of race, power, and global justice. Their current work explores the intersections of speculative aesthetics, affect theory, and anti-colonial thought, with an upcoming project that theorises a post-anthropocentric, feeling subject.

As Lecturer in Race and Culture in Film and Media in the Department of Media Arts at Royal Holloway, University of London, they convene courses on race, critical theory and creative practice, and digital media theory. Lilly also serves as the Early Career Researcher (ECR) representative for the School of Performing and Digital Arts, where they advocate for and support emerging scholars.

Before joining Royal Holloway, they held Visiting Lecturer positions at the Royal College of Art, University of the Arts London, and Winchester School of Art, and contributed to teaching at Condé Nast College of Fashion & Design and the University of Glasgow. They hold a PhD in Media Arts from Royal Holloway and an MLitt and BA (Hons) in Art History from the University of Glasgow.

Lilly has presented their work at conferences and symposia internationally and continues to develop collaborative projects with artists, scholars, and institutions across multiple contexts. They have also realised several public research programmes that foster dialogue between intellectual, activist, and artistic communities—including Whose World? Whose Future? Whose Hope? Critical Fabulation for Pluriversal Futures (2025); Dark Advances: Affect Aliens & Revolutionary Despair (2022); EVERYWHERE IT IS MACHINES (2021); and Love Spells & Rituals for Another World(2020), which now exists as a publication.

In addition to their academic roles, Lilly is a researcher and programme curator for DEMO: Moving Image Experimental Politics, edits Deleuzine: A Zine for Nobodies Without Organs, and maintains an experimental radio practice with Stegi Radio (Athens, Greece).  Occasionally, they contribute writing to outlets such as ArtReview, Elephant Magazine, Spike Magazine, and the LSE Review of Books.