KESSWA

Kesiena Wanogho, known most commonly as her stage moniker KESSWA, is an 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 from Cranbrook Academy of Art in 4D Design. 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 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 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 Ghostly International studio album “Cherry Blossom Baby”.