Kapwani Kiwanga: BLEED

Kapwani Kiwanga's site-specific installation transposes Underground Railroad quilt codes into naturally dyed fabric, layering histories of slavery, resistance, and botanical knowledge.

Why go

The work employs three distinct natural dye processes—Atlantic salt water for black, pokeberries for red (invoking a 1816 act of resistance), and indigo for blue—each material anchoring specific histories of transatlantic trade and forced labor. The use of fugitive dyes that shift over time makes the work itself a register of temporal passage.

What to expect

A large-scale installation on the second floor featuring undulating patterns in black, blue, and crimson inspired by the "flying geese" quilt motif. The work combines textile, natural dyes, and historical narrative in a site-specific commission designed to engage viewers with encrypted language and Black traditions of knowledge-sharing.

Things to know

• Site-specific commission installed in the Museum's second-floor project gallery
• Uses three natural dye processes: Atlantic salt water, pokeberries, and indigo
• Inspired by "flying geese" quilt pattern believed to guide people north on the Underground Railroad
• Features fugitive dyes that shift color over time, making the work a register of temporal passage
• Organized by Yelena Keller, Associate Curator
• On view March 11, 2026–April 1, 2027

Plan your visit

Plan your visit through the Studio Museum's website at studiomuseum.org/visit for ticket information and hours. The installation is located on the second floor of the museum at 144 W 125th Street, New York, NY 10027.