Dozie Kanu
Artist
© Casper Sejersen
Dozie Kanu (b. 1993, Houston, TX) is an American artist who lives and works in Santarém, Portugal. He graduated from the School of Visual Arts in 2016 and participated in the Maumas Independent Study Program in Lisbon in 2022.
Dozie Kanu’s practice explores the tensions between form and function, art and design. He repurposes found objects and materials to create his own visual lexicon, drawing on personal experiences, pop culture and motifs from the African diaspora. His sculptures and installations reference utilitarian forms and domestic ideas, while resisting simple categories. His works exist concurrently as communicative or performative objects.
Most recently, he exhibited at Nina Johnson Gallery, Miami (2024); Gianni Manhattan, Vienna (2024); Fondation Beyeler, Basel (2024); Drei, Cologne (2024); Galerie Barbara Weiss, Berlin (2023); Kölnischer Kunstverein, Cologne (2023); Quinn Harrelson Gallery, Los Angeles (2023); C-Mine, Genk (2023); Oregon Center for Contemporary Art, Portland (2023); Galerie Francesca Pia, Zurich (2022); SFMOMA, San Francisco (2022); Project Native Informant, London (2022); Neuer Essener Kunstverein, Essen (2022); Galeria Madragoa, Lisbon (2021); Performance Space New York (2021); The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York (2019). He is participating in a four-month art residency at LUMA Arles, France, until end of February 2025.