Kapwani Kiwanga
Maison Louis Carré (Paris) & Kunsthalle (Helsinki)
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Nations: Cap Francais 20, 21, 22 and 23 June 1793 by Kapwani Kiwanga (2020). Installation, sequin and pearl embroidery, braid, various sewn fabrics, painted metal hanging bar, 158 x 327 x 22 cm. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Jérôme Poggi, Paris. Photography by Aurélien Mole. Private Collection, Toronto Canada. -
Kapwani Kiwanga: Lambi, 2019. Glass paste, Haitian sand, colored glass, metal, 15 x 110 x 120 cm. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Jérôme Poggi, Paris. Photography by Aurélien Mole
b. 1978 in Canada, based in Paris, France
Kapwani Kiwanga’s work often manifests as installations, sound, video, and performance. She intentionally confuses truth and fiction in order to unsettle hegemonic narratives and create spaces in which marginal discourse can flourish. As a trained anthropologist and social scientist, she occupies the role of a researcher in her projects.
Kiwanga studied Anthropology and Comparative Religion at McGill University, Canada. She followed post-graduate studies at École Nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris (France) and Le Fresnoy: National Contemporary Art Studio (France).
She received the Marcel Duchamp prize (FR) in 2020 and in 2018 the Frieze Artist Award (USA) as well as the Sobey Art Award (CA). Her film and video works have been nominated for two BAFTAs and have received awards at international film festivals.
She has exhibited internationally including Haus der Kunst, Munich (DE); Albertinum museum, Dresden (DE); MIT List Visual Arts Center, Cambridge (USA); Hammer Museum, Los Angeles (USA); Esker Foundation, Calgary (CA); Power Plant, Toronto (CA); National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa (CA); Whitechapel Gallery, London (UK); Serpentine Galleries, London (UK); Yuz Museum, Shanghai (CHN); Centre Pompidou, Paris (FR) and Jeu de Paume, Paris (FR) among others.
She is represented by galerie Poggi, Paris; galerie Tanja Wagner, Berlin; Goodman gallery, Johannesburg, Cape Town & London.