Kapwani Kiwanga

Kapwani Kiwanga (b. 1978, Hamilton, Canada, lives in Paris) traces historical narratives, excavating and considering the global impact of international relationships—including colonialism—in its manifold aspects, and how it permeates contemporary culture. Unveiling the pervasive impact of power asymmetries by placing narratives from the past in dialogue with contemporary realities, the archive, and tomorrow’s possibilities—as in her most exhibited project Flowers for Africa, begun in 2013—her work is research-driven, instigated by marginalized or forgotten histories, and articulated across a range of materials and mediums including sculpture, installation, photography, video, and performance. Materiality and the economics of material production is a recurring element in Kiwanga’s work, pointing to exploitation and how it manifests between politics and culture.