Art Writing is a subtle and delicate skill that provides artistic discourse with a layer of complexity that creates space for artists’ voices to be heard, as well as facilitate direct conversations, debates, and dialogues among artists themselves, the public, and scholars. In this regard, Kemi Adeyemi established an art writing incubator, public programming initiative, and publication platform called the Black Embodiments Studio that prioritizes experimentation and exchange in Seattle. Her goal with this platform is to cultivate a conversation around Black arts and create connections with the various art scenes. She also encourages writers to remember to capture their own voice and find the language that feels true to them.
In an interview with ContemporaryAnd, when asked about her perspective on the future direction of Black art writing, Kemi Adeyemi responded “I can certainly say that there is a lot of hand-wringing about the state of art writing in general. And we are right to feel nervous about what it will mean for the art worlds that we circulate in if there is no support for writers whose work helps facilitate conversations around artists, works, exhibitions, and institutions – all these elements that make up “the art world.” I think people recognize the power of arts writing and of individual writers, but that does not mean that they are willing to build structures that pay arts writers adequately and provide them with editors who are skilled critical thinkers. And we are not always building structures where arts writers are trained to speak to multiple audiences. So I hope a program like BES is valuable because it’s saying: “Look, it’s really not that complicated: just give people time and space to learn this skill and help build avenues where they can redeploy these skills in other domains.”
Kemi Adeyemi, an art-adjacent academic in the field of art and its intersections, resides in Seattle where she engages in critical thinking, writing, and teaching. She is an Associate Professor of Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies at the University of Washington. Adeyemi’s practice revolves around using performance as both a subject and a methodology to explore the complexities of contemporary black queer life. She authored the book “Feels Right: Black Queer Women & the Politics of Partying in Chicago (Duke University Press, 2022) and co-edited Queer Nightlife (University of Michigan Press, 2021) alongside Kareem Khubchandani and Ramón Rivera-Servera. Her most recent writing was featured in GLQ, Women & Performance, as well as in the Routledge Handbook of African American Art History. Adeyemi’s engagement with contemporary art goes beyond her artistic pursuits, she works as a dramaturge for choreographer Will Rawls, and has written extensively on and for various artists. She also curated Amina Ross’ solo show at Ditch Projects in 2019. In 2017, she co-curated Unstable Objects at the Alice Gallery.
