Sena Cleave is an artist and writer living in the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and səlilwətaɬ peoples, or Vancouver, Canada. Working in sculpture, language, and photographic experiments, they address ideas of il/legibility and hybridity, as well as exchange and reciprocity. They pilfer scraps of cultural matter from everyday life (including objects, images, and textual passages) and recombine them. The scraps are recontextualized among one another to generate something resembling a whole—one that is jumbled and misbehaving.
Cleave holds a BFA from Simon Fraser University. Recent exhibitions include 560 Gallery, 2023; Seymour Art Gallery, 2023; Mónica Reyes Gallery, 2022; and Massy Arts Society, 2022 & 2024. Their writing has been published as part of Timelines, Contemporary Art Gallery's 50th anniversary initiative, and Slow Calendar, an ongoing textiles project by The Only Animal Theatre. Collaboratively, they have curated exhibitions through The Couch, an art space consisting of a purpose-built couch and coffee table.
IG @irohasena