In association with Jerwood Foundation, Sir John Soane’s Museum in London has announced that the 2025 Artists in Residence – based in Soane’s historic Drawing Office – will be Simon Farid (b. 1987) as the Spring Resident, and Mohammed Qasim Ashfaq (b.1982) as the Autumn Resident.
Following an agreement between the philanthropic Jerwood Foundation and Sir John Soane’s Museum over the next three years, the role will now be known as Jerwood Artist in Residence at The Soan.
“Embarking on this new partnership with Sir John Soane’s Museum underlines Jerwood’s commitment to supporting excellence in the arts in the UK. The Jerwood Artist in Residence Programme offers a unique opportunity to artists to enable them to develop their drawing practice within the exceptional and inspiring setting of Sir John Soane’s Museum and its historic Drawing Office.”
Lara Wardle, Executive Director and Trustee of Jerwood Foundation
The atmospheric Drawing Office, within the heart of the Museum itself, is the earliest surviving example of a working architectural office. To mark the 200th anniversary of its installation in Sir John Soane’s home in Lincoln’s Inn Fields, the Museum’s first residency programme was launched in 2023.
Now, two artist residents are hosted annually, for three months each, during the Spring and the Autumn.
The residency programme invites artists whose work engages deeply with drawing as a conceptual, material, or procedural foundation. As such, the Drawing Office offers a unique environment for the two artists to explore the past, present, and future of drawing as a critical and experimental practice. During their respective terms in the Drawing Office, Simon and Mohammed will be developing new work in response to the context of the historic space and the wider legacy of Sir John Soane’s Museum.
Simon Farid is a London-based visual artist and invigilator at a major art gallery, often adopting pseudonyms or fictional identities to explore how representation operates across institutional, digital, and architectural contexts. In 2015 Farid made newspaper headlines when it was speculated that he was the mystery candidate ‘Michael Green’ standing against Grant Shapps in that year’s General Election for the Welwyn Hatfield seat. The name was a pseudonym previously employed by the then Conservative Party Chairman as an alter ego to promote a variety of business opportunities and self-help books.
Born in Falkirk, Scotland, Mohammed Qasim Ashfaq is now a London-based visual artist whose work is fundamentally rooted in drawing and is particularly known for his monumental graphite works — painstakingly rendered by hand. Characteristically monochrome and employing traditional materials, such as graphite and paper, Ashfaq exemplifies a commitment to the centuries-old art of drawing.
“The historic importance of the Museum, its archive and collections are well known but less so is our work with contemporary artists and the relevance of the Museum and its collection to artists, architects and designers practicing now,”
says Will Gompertz, Director of Sir John Soane’s Museum.
“The important funding and wider support from Jerwood Foundation will make sure that the residency programme allows us to continue developing our investment and relationships in exciting, talented contemporary practitioners working in the fields of art and architecture. We extend our sincere thanks to the 2025 Residency Selection Committee for their thoughtful expertise and guidance in the selection process: Clarrie Wallis, Dr Louise Stewart, Zoé Whitley, Asif Khan and Pio Abad. I would also like to acknowledge the generosity of The Clare McKeon Charitable Trust who are supporting our 2025 Artists.”
He adds:
“The Jerwood Artist in Residence at the Soane programme will continue to highlight contemporary practices that extend the legacy of drawing beyond the page. We look forward to welcoming these two remarkable artists here, and to sharing the outcomes of their residencies with the public.”
About the artists
Simon Farid is an interdisciplinary artist whose practice centres on drawing as an investigative and performative act. Whether tracing bureaucratic systems, re-mapping urban infrastructure, or visually interpreting data flows, Farid uses drawing to render visible the invisible frameworks that govern identity and public life. His work frequently combines traditional draftsmanship with digital processes and speculative cartographies.
Farid approaches drawing as a critical tool—one that reveals, questions, and intervenes in systems of power. His practice often adopts pseudonyms or fictional identities to explore how representation operates across institutional, digital, and architectural contexts. Farid has presented work at institutions including Tate Britain, the Barbican, and international performance festivals. simonfarid.com
Mohammed Qasim Ashfaq is a London-based visual artist whose practice is fundamentally rooted in drawing, expanded through sculpture and installation. Known for his monumental graphite works—painstakingly rendered by hand—Ashfaq engages drawing as both process and philosophy. His precision-based approach to geometric abstraction channels drawing into immersive experiences that blur boundaries between the meditative and the architectural.
By working almost exclusively in monochrome and employing traditional materials such as graphite and paper, Ashfaq interrogates the spatial and psychological dimensions of drawn form. His practice exemplifies a commitment to the rigour and resonance of drawing in the contemporary moment. Ashfaq has exhibited widely, including at the Venice Biennale, Royal Academy of Arts, and Jerwood Space. @mq.graphite
About
Established in 1977 for John Jerwood MC (1918-1991) by Alan Grieve CBE, Jerwood Foundation is a UK charity committed to supporting excellence and emerging talent in the arts in the UK. Alan Grieve was appointed Chairman Emeritus in 2023, and at this time Rupert Tyler was appointed Chairman. The organisation is led by Lara Wardle, Executive Director and Trustee and to date Jerwood Foundation has committed over £112 million to support the arts in the UK.
Jerwood Foundation owns the Jerwood Collection of modern and contemporary art, and an important part of Jerwood’s philanthropic mission is delivered by the Collection through its loaning programme and promotion of a broader understanding, interpretation and enjoyment of art. Also included in the Jerwood group of organisations is Jerwood Space, which was Jerwood’s first major capital project when established by Jerwood Foundation in Southwark in 1998. Jerwood Space is a dedicated rehearsal space providing theatre, musical theatre, opera and dance companies with an outstanding environment within which to create their work. jerwood.org
Sir John Soane Musuem at No. 13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields has been a national museum since the early nineteenth century. Designed by renowned architect Sir John Soane and filled with his world-class collection of paintings, sculpture, artefacts and models, the Museum retains the same fabric and design as at the time of Soane’s death in 1837. Today, the Museum encourages access to Soane’s legacy in its broadest sense: architecture and design, creative originality, a commitment to learning and enquiry, and the connections between past and present that the Museum and its collections reveal. The Museum is open Wednesdays to Sundays, 10am to 5pm. Entry is free. There is no need to pre-book – you can walk in on the day. @soanemuseum
