jkon@yorku.ca
Joe Konieczny is a writer, educator, and master’s student in the Art History and Visual Culture program at York University. His research focuses primarily on the cultural history of the Swahili Coast, with a particular emphasis on postcolonial theory and archival epistemology. Joe’s thesis work focuses on emerging philosophies of representation in artist’s run centres on the continent, and the ways in which their affiliate staff and artists engage with a western academy and public that have resisted decolonization. Joe’s other writing has covered diverse topics, reflecting his numerous research interests. His peer-reviewed work includes analysis of the Kenyan-German performance artist Myriam Syowia Kyambi, a series of diatribes against apoliticism in academia, and a look at the curatorial legacy of Okwui Enwezor. Outside of the classroom, Joe works on curriculum at the Korean edu-tech company Ringle, where he is developing a series of advanced English language trainings for use by artistic professionals. He is the president of the Art History Graduate Students Association and the facilitator of a professional art writing group in the Toronto area.
Keywords: Visual culture; Swahili history; artist-run centres