Kevin Beasley | Fine Artist

Kevin Beasley ‘07, Fine Arts, was one of 103 artists featured in the prestigious 2014 Whitney Biennial.

After graduating from the College for Creative Studies, Beasley co-founded CAVE, an artist-run gallery in Detroit’s Russell Industrial Center. He has worked in multiple disciplines, including sculpture and performance. His sculptural installations are typically composed of found material, such as glass, roots, metal and fabric.

Recent national exhibitions of Beasley’s work include his 2012 performance of I Want My Spot Back, in conjunction with the exhibition Some sweet day at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). During this two-day performance, Beasley took on “the role of DJ, mixing slowed-down a cappella tracks by deceased rappers from the 1990s with additional textures, rhythms and feedback.” Other recent shows include Latency, a survey of sculptures at Detroit gallery The Butcher’s Daughter; a performance in Danspace’s An All Day Event. The End, at St. Marks Church in-the-Bowery in New York City; and a performance and sculpture in Realization is Better than Anticipation at The Contemporary Art Museum of Cleveland.

The Huffington Post named Beasley as one of “30 Black Contemporary Art Makers under 40 You Should Know.” Kevin Beasley earned his MFA from Yale in 2012. He recently was a 2013-14 artist-in-residence at The Studio Museum in Harlem.

Profile from College for Creative Studies