studio program_Olukemi LIijadu
January-March, 2025
Introducing Olukemi Lijadu (@kemkemlij), who will be working in 99 Canal’s STUDIO 3 to strengthen her research project surrounding the film “Sister, Sister”, an impressionistic portrait of Taiwo and Kehinde Lijadu, from the legendary music duo The Lijadu Sisters. Her residency is a collaboration between 99 Canal and Magnet, Speciwomen’s satellite residency project.
Olukemi Lijadu is a multi-disciplinary Nigerian artist with a focus on moving image and sound. Her work explores collective memory across the Atlantic, diasporic music and family history. She graduated from Stanford University with an M.A. in Philosophy, focusing on Greek and African philosophical systems, and is currently exploring the interplay between these two traditions in her work.
Interested in forms of communal listening, Lijadu presented “Feedback: Listening Session II” at 99 Canal earlier in the year as an extension of her research examining the connections between West African rhythms and Black musical expression within house culture in the United States, and recently screened three of her films “Guardian Angel and Trading Memories Part I & II” as part of the Speciwoman focus program at Metrograph (@metrograph) in New York City.
“Olukemi Lijadu Two Hundred Years Together,” The Kitchen
Studio Program | 99 Canal
The Studio Program is a one to three-month opportunity for emerging and mid-career artists based both within and outside New York City.
Collaborating with artists, galleries, and institutions, our selection process draws on the insights of the local creative community to ensure a continuously diverse and vibrant studio cohort.
The program initially launched in 2022 as a response to the lack of affordable spaces in Manhattan and provides access to an intimate and context-specific environment to work in.
Magnet _
Magnet is a funded artist-in-residence program hosted by Speciwomen welcoming artists from outside of New York to spend time and make work in the city. Our headquarters are set up as a home and research center based in lower Manhattan. Each artist will have access to a shared live-in space, the Speciwomen Library and a private studio space for the duration of the residency.
Speciwomen commits to partnering with select institutions, labs, and other artist spaces to help curate a meaningful stay for each artist based on their needs and desires. Our commitment is to provide a supportive environment where artists can delve into their work with unencumbered time, developing their practice and fostering relationships.