Kaneza Schaal

Kaneza Schaal (b. 1985) is a New York City-based artist working in theater, opera, and film. Her work has shown in divergent contexts, from New York City galleries to courtyards in Vietnam, East African amphitheaters to European opera houses, US public housing to rural auditoriums in the UAE. By creating art that speaks many formal, cultural, historical, aesthetic, and experiential languages, she seeks expansive audiences. In her commitment to artist-centered institutions, Schaal co-founded the Gihanga Institute for Contemporary Art in Kigali, Rwanda; The Collective Practice resource sharing structure for theater makers; and served on the board of PS122/PSNY and the leadership council for the artist employment and guaranteed income initiative Creatives Rebuild New York. She is currently a co-director of Under the Radar Festival in New York City. Schaal is the recipient of a Doris Duke Artist Award, an LA Opera Stern Artist Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Soros Art Migration and Public Space Fellowship, a Ford Foundation Art for Justice Bearing Witness Award, a United States Artists Fellowship, and a Creative Capital Award.