Kiyan Williams, 2014
Kiyan Williams (they/them) is a visual artist based in New York City. Working fluidly across sculpture, performance, video, and installation, they create art works that redefine fixed notions of history and the body. They are attracted to quotidian, unconventional materials and methods that evoke the historical, political, and ecological forces that shape individual and collective identities. Williams earned a BA with honors from Stanford University and an MFA in Visual Art from Columbia University. Their work has been exhibited at The Hirshhorn, the Hammer Museum, SculptureCenter, Brooklyn Museum, Socrates Sculpture Park, The Shed, and more. Williams’ work is in private and public collections including the Hirshhorn Museum and the Hammer Museum. Williams’ work has been featured in and reviewed by Artforum, Art in America, ArtNews, BOMB Magazine, Hyperallergic, and Social Texts. They are a recipient of the Franklin Furnace Fund, Graham Foundation Fund, and Fountainhead Fellowship at VCU. They are currently on faculty in the Parsons MFA program.