KESSWA
Kesiena Wanogho (b. 1992)

Biography

Kesiena Wanogho, also known by her stage moniker KESSWA, is a transdisciplinary artist from Detroit, MI. As a performance artist, producer, and social practice artist, her work weaves pedagogy, fiber, video, music, interactive technology, and spoken word to function as a resource for healing. She has received a BA in Sociology from Wayne State University and an MFA in 4D Design from Cranbrook Academy of Art. Her work with renowned musician Shigeto, “Is My Mind A Machine Gun?” (2021), premiered on the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit’s (MOCAD) new media platform, Daily Rush, and premiered as a performance art piece at Dlectricity’s 2021 Festival.

KESSWA is a 2024 Culture Source Creators of Culture grantee, a 2022 Kresge Arts in Detroit Fellow, and a 2020 McArthur Binion “Pay-It-Forward” Grantee. KESSWA has toured Germany as Detroit-Berlin Connection’s premier artist-in-residence. She has performed at Pop-Kultur Festival and Haldern Pop Festival. She has also performed in support of avant-garde artists such as Esperanza Spalding, Sudan Archives, The Sun Ra Arkestra, and Rashaad Newsome at institutions such as The Cleveland Museum of Art, The University of Michigan Museum of Art, The Pinault Collection, Hotel de Talleyrand, and the Detroit Institute of Arts. Most recently, she is a featured artist on Theo Parrish’s DJ-Kicks compilation, “Detroit Forward,” and Shigeto’s third studio album, “Cherry Blossom Baby,” on Ghostly International.

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Artist Statement

My practice is an investigation of technological healing modalities within the quotidian. How do everyday objects, such as mirrors, for instance, function as an interactive interface between the psyche and the built environment? Grounded in a framework that posits performance and performativity, a concept developed by gender studies scholar Judith Butler, as technologies that aid humans in repair and replenishment post sociological and psychological “rupture,” my research draws upon Legacy Russell’s Glitch Feminism, Womanism, Afro-Surrealism, Afro-futurism, and Black Dada to inform a structure of healing possibility that is both historical and speculative. By weaving together fiber, text, sculpture, video, performance, and electronics, I shape a dynamic, interdisciplinary approach to personal, familial, and collective archives, aiming to reclaim what was lost, disparaged, demonized, and fragmented due to the afterlives or delayed time of colonialism and misogyny.

My practice aims to center the body as a technological site of performance in relation to land and history. My research identifies the body as a matrix of complex biological systems that mirror the cycles and rhythms of nature, holding immense creative potential that is organized by ideas, expressed through action, and access to material resources; human beings are inherently technological. Through the utilization of this ancient technology, we can explore the construction of equitable futures, sustainable ecosystems, and expand notions of liberation and possibility.

I draw upon the legacy and impact of Detroit’s cultural production, specifically techno, which took inspiration from the automotive industry and transformed the way electronic music is produced and experienced globally. I also draw upon Detroit’s self-proclaimed identity as the hair capital, which introduced flamboyant and sculptural hair pageantry into global consciousness as models for creative freedom and artistic innovation. As a core component of my work, collaboration permits a polyphonic oeuvre that includes virtual reality, new media, short films, sculpture, braiding performances, musical albums, DJ sets, and site-specific performance work.

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