I am Michael Garner, an American/Austrian artist who previously worked at CIA, NASA, Meta, Amnesty International, etc. Through my art, I hope to challenge assumptions as well as encourage critical thinking and empathy.
The Congress for Cultural Freedom (CCF) was a cultural organization founded in 1950 in West Berlin and later headquartered in Paris. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) funded the organization until 1966; however, after this was exposed, funding was subsequently provided by the Ford Foundation.
The CCF was disbanded in 1979, the year Michael Garner was born, and Garner took the baton. Garner worked for the CIA for several years in the 2010s, and in April 2025 reestablished the Congress for Cultural Freedom to support art that promotes “the American values of freedom, democracy, and human rights.”Book release
Last year, I released a book about my time working for the CIA. During my 3-year stint at the Agency, I experienced what appeared to be a mélange of surveillance in which an unknown entity penetrated every aspect of my professional and private life. I watched words change on my screen in real time on my personal computer at home, and items in my apartment were altered while I was in another room. When I described what appeared to be happening to a senior CIA manager, she said it was “plausible” that the Agency was responsible.
This book describes everything—and lays out what was really going on. It is a true story. You can order it here.
I’ve created a significant number of works based on my experience working for the CIA. Selected works below:
