Kemi Craig Announced as Victoria's New Artist in Residence

Kemi Craig has been selected as the 2022-2024 Artist in Residence 

 Victoria-based dancer and visual artist, Kemi Craig has been selected as the City’s third Artist in Residence. (Image credit: Cedar Coast Photography) 

Through her lived experience as a woman of African descent, Kemi’s art utilizes dance, analogue and digital visual technologies to center experiences for people with racialized and gendered bodies. She is inspired by Black history and Afrofuturism, dance that expresses and augments what we do every day, DIY culture and by visual histories and pop cultural production. 

Kemi is a graduate from the Emily Carr University of Art Design with a Masters degree in Fine Art. Since graduating she has exhibited and performed through local arts centers as well as across BC and Canada. Her film and video work has been exhibited at local galleries such as Legacy Art Gallery, Flux Gallery, the Ministry of Casual Living as well as the Victoria International Film Festival and Antimatter Media Arts Festival. She has worked with the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria and Xchanges Gallery as an artist educator/mentor and curator. For the past three years, Kemi has been the Artist in Residence with Dance Victoria, and has danced as a solo artist and company dancer local community events and shows and in a documentary about the experiences of local Black dancers. Most recently, she performed at the Art in the Open Contemporary Arts Festival in Charlottetown, PEI. 

Her aim during her residency is to create multi-sensory, site-specific installations and performances, embedded with community and audience engagement. Kemi believes that it is important to share opportunities for the community to be involved in art making. “I am excited about the process of making art and working collaboratively to create performances that share agency with the other artists and create opportunities for audiences to participate by becoming activators and storytellers,” says Kemi. “The opportunity to serve as the Artist in Residence for the City of Victoria will assist me in bringing art to public spaces. I look forward to creating alongside you all.” 

Meet and Greet - You're Invited!

The public is invited to meet Kemi Craig at a Meet and Greet event in the Antechambers at City Hall on Tuesday, November 22 at 6 p.m.. The free event will feature an artist talk and demonstration from Kemi, as well as an opportunity for the community to ask questions. All ages are welcome. Light refreshments will be served.

To learn more about the Artist in Residence program click here.