Kapwani Kiwanga

Meet the artist that will be representing Canada at the 2024 Venice Biennale!

Today’s muse is Kapwani Kiwanga, a Canadian artist who is well-known for her ability to illuminate and recontextualize marginalized histories through a variety of mediums, such as sculpture, film, photography and installations. Her work notably focuses on how power imbalances and structural oppression have shaped the realities of multiple groups throughout history and within the current day.

Kiwanga’s push into art began after a two-year exploration into academia, where she studied anthropology and comparative religion at Mcgill University. Her exposure to various disciplines has contributed to the research-driven methods at the root of her art practice. She applies an anthropological approach to her work in which she serves as unearthing and discovering neglected and forgotten stories.

One of her most renowned exhibits is her ongoing series titled Flowers for Africa, which is an investigation into the narrative surrounding African decolonization. Kiwanga utilizes floral compositions to examine the presence of flowers in diplomatic ceremonies linked to the independence of African countries. These flowers, commonly placed on podiums and tables during political deliberations, are the silent witnesses to the ambiguous release of power from the hands of the oppressor to the oppressed. As they naturally wilt, they signify the transition of hope to despair as supposedly freed countries begin to question the truth of this freedom and the fate of their futures.

Kapwani Kiwanga will represent Canada at the 60th Venice Biennale in 2024. She is the first Black woman to show at the country’s pavilion and only the second Black artist to take on the project, after Stan Douglas who was selected for the 2022 edition. #todaysmuse #museandmuseums #kapwanikiwanga #artgallery #museum #art #film #sculpture #installationart #blackart #africa #womanartist