Kikesa Kimbwala DeRobles is a Congolese-Mexican American artist. Originally from Pomona, California, she moved to Washington, DC in 2017 to earn her B.F.A. from Howard University and has since developed her studio and curatorial practices on the East Coast. As a product of her experience as the oldest child, cast from birth with the unconditional responsibility of caring for and protecting her younger siblings, as well as her relationship with her single mother, she regularly employs a protective maternal gaze to dissect the violent and tender experiences of caring for people of the Black diaspora, and often associates individuals with their childlike vulnerability. This collaboration challenged her to rethink the essence of human beings and human relationships without the physical body.
Artist, visual designer, and producer Raaziq Masud is a 2018 graduate of Howard University with a degree in Human Development. Most recently, he obtained a master’s degree in Interactive Telecommunications from New York University. Being a native of the Bronx, Masud’s exposure to graffiti and Hip-Hop culture fostered his appreciation for the arts at an early age. He is currently the CEO of the production company POPXTWO LLC, where he also serves as the lead illustrator and designer. Through his work as a producer and designer, he has developed the Get Hip brand and educational platform with Ms. Tanasia Smith.