About
We work with mid-career conceptual artists who explore social justice related topics. They surface the world’s economic and social challenges through their insightful research and concepts.
Our contribution:
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Residencies and survey exhibitions: we invite the artists to think, research or create.
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Community and education programs: we make art accessible and we inspire younger generations.
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Partnerships with socially engaged businesses: we develop unique opportunities for making impact.
We were established in 2019 and launched in 2020 with KODA Community program. Our work is designed around the needs of individual artists, with the main aim to provide them with due exposure and scholarship. Our strategy and our projects are aligned with the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Email us to speak about potential collaborations.
Team
Executive Director & Chief Curator
Klaudia Ofwona Draber is a curator and the founder of KODA—a social practice residency for mid-career artists. She has lived and led arts, technology and strategy projects in Europe, Africa, and the United States. Her professional experience includes serving as Faculty at Sotheby's Institute of Art, working as the Head of Public Relations at the Polish Cultural Institute New York, and as a consultant to the British Council Arts. She also worked at UBS, managing global change and local arts CSR projects. Klaudia was the 2021-2022 Helena Rubinstein Fellow at the Whitney Museum ISP Curatorial Studies Program. She is a board member at ArtTable and a mentor at NEW INC. Klaudia holds an MA in Art Business from Sotheby‘s Institute of Art New York. She also holds an MA in Economics from the Warsaw School of Economics. Klaudia is a PhD candidate in Practice in Curating at the University of Reading and OnCurating Academy.
Kenseth Armstead
Nadine Braquetti
Tim Goossens
Elana Herzog
Tahir Carl Karmali
Constantine Sidamon-Eristoff
Klaudia Ofwona Draber, ex officio
Elif Usuloglu
Program Manager
Elif Usuloglu is the Program Manager at KODA. Elif gained her professional experience working in non-profit organizations and galleries. She holds an MA in Visual Arts Administration from NYU where she's studied Strategic Governance and Planning amongst other things. She holds a BA in Fine Arts from Marist College. Besides being a stellar artist-oriented arts administrator, Elif is also a visual artist herself. She explores the human figure through her practice. She has showcased her work in Italy, US, and Turkey. Her current project involves experimenting with using every part of the used tea bags; from sewing and drawing on the tea bags to using the loose tea leaves to print photos. She values exploration and community.
Board of Directors
Klaudia Ofwona Draber
Press
2024
IndyKids: THE AMAZING ART PROGRAM KODA
The Rockaway Times: KODA x Stilt City to Bring Artist Residency to Revamped Bungalow
Brooklyn Bridge Parents: Free kid-friendly events this week in Brooklyn (8/19-8/25)
Harlem World: Join The House Fest At Governors Island
Art Spiel: Sari Carel: A More Perfect Circle
Now Dziennik: Dzień Ziemi
Yale University Radio's The Museum of Non-Visible Art: Sari Carel about A More Perfect Circle
Greenpointers: This Weekend in Greenpoint: April 19-21
BKReader: Things to do Over Spring Break, Earth Day- Brooklyn Style
2023
The New York Times: Portraits in Unlikely Spaces
New York Magazine: The Approval Matrix: End-of-Summertime Sadness (Highbrow-Brilliant)
Art Spiel: Sa’dia Rehman walks you through memories of displacement on the colonized lands of Governors Island
Whitehot Magazine: On Governors Island, artist residencies relate stories of displacements. Sa’dia Rehman brings theirs in an installation called Desire Lines
2022
Yale University Radio's The Museum of Non-Visible Art: Jazmin Lopez about The Great Dane
ARTFORUM Must See: Jazmin Lopez: The Great Dane
Whitehot Magazine: Cultural Rebels: Latinx artist Lina Puerta brings her soft revolution to East Harlem
Sculpture Magazine: Lina Puerta
2021
The New York Times: Expanding the Scope of ‘Latin American Art’
Hyperallergic: Lina Puerta’s Art Mimics Botanical and Female Anatomical Forms
Time Out New York: “Embodied Activism” by I.D.A.
ArtReview: Farideh Sakhaeifar You are in the war zone.
Artefuse: Farideh Sakhaeifar: You are in the War Zone at Trotter & Sholer, NYC
The Org: The Changing Landscape of New York City’s Art Scene
Art Spiel: Farideh Sakhaeifar: You Are in the War Zone.
See Great Art: Farideh Sakhaeifar: ‘You are in the war zone’
ArtfixDaily: Farideh Sakhaeifar: You're in the warzone. Presented by Trotter&Sholer and KODA
Art Spiel: KODA – A Focus on Artists
Whitehot Magazine: Turning the spotlight onto the invisible: the works of Lina Puerta and Hidemi Takagi
2020
Art Zealous: Discussion Panel with Artist LINA PUERTA: Food Justice and Diverse Farming Ecosystem
TRUE Africa: This Is Not Your Typical New York City Barbershop Photo Story
ANTE Mag: Society, Individual, Suffrage: NYFA x KODA, Womanhood & Women’s Rights Panel on 10/21
IB Community Blog: Who am I? A conversation about identity
A Women’s Thing: Founder of New York Nomadic Art Space Sees Future in Art Beyond Commodity
Nowy Dziennik: Laboratorium dla koncepcji kreatywnych (Laboratory for creative concepts)
TRUE Africa: How to Support Artists and Their Professional Development in These Times of Crisis
J’AIPUR Journal: Culture and Climate in the Work of Artist Bahar Behbahani
IB Community Blog: Following your passion: Curating and entrepreneurship
Dance Informa: The DanceBands: Making art together, making it for all
Artland: Hidemi Takagi: Stories