Kapwani Kiwanga in Conversation with Imani Perry
September 13, 2026, 3:00–5:00 pm
Join Kapwani Kiwanga and Imani Perry in a conversation moderated by Studio Museum Associate Curator Yelena Keller as they dive deeper into the practice of exploring material histories and the creative process behind Kiwanga's site-specific installation BLEED. This event is free and open to the public. ASL interpretation will be provided.
Kapwani Kiwanga (b. 1978, Hamilton, Canada; lives and works between Paris and Berlin) traces the pervasive impact of power asymmetries by placing historic narratives in dialogue with contemporary realities, the archive, and tomorrow's possibilities. 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. Kiwanga co-opts the canon; she turns systems of power back on themselves, in art and in parsing broader histories. In this manner, Kiwanga has developed an aesthetic vocabulary that she described as "exit strategies," works that invite one to see things from multiple perspectives, so as to look differently at existing structures and find ways to navigate the future differently.
Imani Perry is the Henry A. Morss, Jr. and Elisabeth W. Morss Professor of African and African American Studies at Harvard University and the Carol K. Pforzheimer Professor at Harvard Radcliffe Institute. Perry is the author of 9 books, including the New York Times Bestseller South to America: A Journey Below the Mason Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation which received the 2022 National Book Award for Nonfiction and the inaugural Inside Literary Prize, the only book award judged by incarcerated Americans. It was also one of President Obama's favorite books of 2022. Perry's other award-winning titles include: May We Forever Stand: A History of the Black National Anthem, and Looking for Lorraine: The Radiant and Radical Life of Lorraine Hansberry. Her work has been recognized by the Pen America Foundation, Phi Beta Kappa, The Hurston Wright Foundation, The NAACP, and the National Magazine Awards. Her most recent book: Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People, was published in January of 2025 and was a finalist for the Kirkus Prize. Perry has written for numerous publications including: The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Bitter Southerner, Harper's and Harper’s Bazaar. Perry is a 2023 recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship. She has also received fellowships from the Guggenheim and Pew Foundations. Prior to Harvard, she served on the faculty of Princeton University's Department of African American Studies and Rutgers Law School.
Kapwani Kiwanga in Conversation with Imani Perry
September 13, 2026, 3:00–5:00 pm
Join Kapwani Kiwanga and Imani Perry in a conversation moderated by Studio Museum Associate Curator Yelena Keller as they dive deeper into the practice of exploring material histories and the creative process behind Kiwanga's site-specific installation BLEED. This event is free and open to the public. ASL interpretation will be provided.
Kapwani Kiwanga (b. 1978, Hamilton, Canada; lives and works between Paris and Berlin) traces the pervasive impact of power asymmetries by placing historic narratives in dialogue with contemporary realities, the archive, and tomorrow's possibilities. 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. Kiwanga co-opts the canon; she turns systems of power back on themselves, in art and in parsing broader histories. In this manner, Kiwanga has developed an aesthetic vocabulary that she described as "exit strategies," works that invite one to see things from multiple perspectives, so as to look differently at existing structures and find ways to navigate the future differently.
Imani Perry is the Henry A. Morss, Jr. and Elisabeth W. Morss Professor of African and African American Studies at Harvard University and the Carol K. Pforzheimer Professor at Harvard Radcliffe Institute. Perry is the author of 9 books, including the New York Times Bestseller South to America: A Journey Below the Mason Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation which received the 2022 National Book Award for Nonfiction and the inaugural Inside Literary Prize, the only book award judged by incarcerated Americans. It was also one of President Obama's favorite books of 2022. Perry's other award-winning titles include: May We Forever Stand: A History of the Black National Anthem, and Looking for Lorraine: The Radiant and Radical Life of Lorraine Hansberry. Her work has been recognized by the Pen America Foundation, Phi Beta Kappa, The Hurston Wright Foundation, The NAACP, and the National Magazine Awards. Her most recent book: Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People, was published in January of 2025 and was a finalist for the Kirkus Prize. Perry has written for numerous publications including: The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Bitter Southerner, Harper's and Harper’s Bazaar. Perry is a 2023 recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship. She has also received fellowships from the Guggenheim and Pew Foundations. Prior to Harvard, she served on the faculty of Princeton University's Department of African American Studies and Rutgers Law School.