Kapwani Kiwanga

Canopy (2023)

Ceramics and textiles architectural installation. Courtesy of Goodman Gallery.

Canopy occupies AKI's Kiyori Lounge as a bouquet-like architectural presence that encodes complex political narratives within its fragile material language. The combination of ceramic rigidity and textile softness speaks to the invisible social and environmental architectures that dictate human movement and memory — transforming the lounge into a space of quiet, material accountability.

The work acts as a material archive of historical asymmetries. By combining the softness of textiles with the rigidity of ceramics, it speaks to the invisible social and environmental architectures that dictate human movement and memory.

"There is a deep respect for the time and technique necessary to assemble materials seamlessly. Years of training and generations of knowledge go into this. It is a humbling perseverance despite automation."

Rei manifests as an intellectual and material accountability to the past. The work respects the weight of history while using a delicate aesthetic language to create a bridge for contemporary dialogue.