Kuba Stępień (they/them) – lives and works between Warsaw, Berlin, and their hometown of Bełchatów. Their artistic practice is centred around interdisciplinary, performative projects based on experimental research, self-theory, body work, rewriting, and their own biography, which may overlap with the biographies of others. Their work is also informed by emotions that can be collectively shared or experienced. They use various media, tools, and materials, often found and whimsical. They also work with sound, perform, and release music under the pseudonym Apkvp. Stępień graduated from the first edition of the Kem School, run by the queer-feminist collective Kem in Warsaw. They completed their master’s studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, their undergraduate studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź, and studied at the Academy of Photography in Kraków. They recently graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw and also studied at the Universität der Künste Berlin in Jimmy Robert’s class. DJing at queer parties, organising events for communities, and performing in works by other artists are also important aspects of their artistic practice, which they consider a form of queer worldmaking.
Kuba Stępień
A vibrant photograph shows two people (Kuba Stępień) touching heads. They both wear distinctive makeup. The person on the left is bald, while the person on the right has dark hair.