Kemi Adeyemi

Kemi Adeyemi is an Associate Professor in the Department of Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies at the University of Washington. She directs The Black Embodiments Studio, a writing residency and arts criticism platform. Her work focuses on Black queer women's cultural practices, neoliberal urbanism, and performance studies.

Education: Ph.D. Performance Studies (Northwestern University, 2016), M.A. Performance Studies (Northwestern, 2010), B.A. American Studies & Geography (Macalester College, 2007).

Research emphasizes sonic/affective methods in Black queer life, with projects like Feels Right exploring Chicago nightlife as political resistance. She curates contemporary art exhibitions and collaborates with artists like Will Rawls, Brendan Fernandes, and Tschabalala Self. Her writings appear in GLQ, Women & Performance, and Routledge Handbook of African American Art History.

Professional affiliations include roles as dramaturge for choreographer Will Rawls, co-editor of Queer Nightlife, and contributor to major art exhibitions. Her work bridges academic scholarship and contemporary art practice, interrogating how Blackness and gendered sexuality are embodied and expressed.