2018 Sobey Art Award: Ontario - Kapawani Kiwangi

Kapawani Kiwangi, from Ontario, is the winner of the 2018 Sobey Art Award

Image | Kapwani Kiwanga

Caption: Kapwani Kiwanga (Bertille Chérot, Courtesy Galerie Jérôme Poggi, Paris)

Kapwani Kiwanga(external link) creates works across installation, sound, performance, sculpture and video that marry her training in anthropology, comparative religion and documentary film with her interests in history, memory and storytelling. Presenting rigorous research in imaginative ways, Kiwanga intentionally confuses truth and fiction in her work to enable marginalized narratives to flourish. With a veracious appetite for exploring different pockets of knowledge, she has tackled subjects as far ranging as space travel, anti-colonial struggles, geology and disciplinary architectures. Born in Hamilton, Kiwanga currently lives and works in Paris, France.

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Juror's Statement
November Paynter on Kapwani Kiwanga

The artist long list for Ontario was incredibly strong this year, yet Kapwani Kiwanga stood out for the urgency of her research and the emotive, formal qualities of the art works that result. One juror described Kiwanga's work as "necessary at this time"; a statement that sums up the experience of spending time with, sometimes within, her recent sculptural installations. Describing her works as "exit strategies," Kiwanga investigates historic narratives in dialogue with contemporary realities and future perspectives, allowing us to look differently at existing structures. She is particularly interested in the continued force of colonization and how the dynamics of colonial heritage play out similarly across time and space. Kiwanga lives in Paris and has shown extensively in Europe. With more recent invitations to show in Canada and North America, Kiwanga's practice has evolved to consider new audiences and cultural contexts. For Canada, Kiwanga's inclusion on the Sobey shortlist is a timely recognition of the voice and talent of an exceptional and internationally engaged artistic practice.

Image | 2018 Sobey Art Award - Kapwani Kiwanga - Linear Paintings

Caption: Linear Paintings, 2017| paint on drywall sheet | 250 × 125cm | courtesy of the artist, (Galerie Tanja Wagner, Berlin)

Image | 2018 Sobey Art Award - FFZ Nigera

Caption: Flowers for Africa: Nigeria, 2014 | Protocol to guide the reconstruction of floral arrangement and iconographic documentation | variable dimensions | installation view Galerie Jérôme Poggi – Paris | courtesy of the artist and Galerie Jérôme Poggi – Paris | Nomas Foundation Collection, Italy. photo credit: Aurélien Mole. (Aurélien Mole)

Image | 2018 Sobey Art Award - Kapwani Kiwanga

Caption: The Sun Never Sets, 2017 | single-channel HD video | colour | 9 min | courtesy of the artist and Goodman Gallery, South Africa. (photo credit: Victor Sguassero)