Education
DIVA
Born Paris, France
MFA Film - Cinematography
Howard University, United States Of America
Art, Creation & Technology Graduate Program - University of Montreal, Canada
BFA Art History & Archeology
Université Pantheon Sorbonne Paris I, France
Theatre Performance - Baroque Theatre & Drama
Montaigne - Isabelle Grellet Class, France
Biography
DIVA is a French multimedia artist and filmmaker.
Her work spans immersive video art, expanded cinema, and new media, exploring the intersection of fiction, reality, and documentary. Blurring the lines between the real and the imagined, she pushes the boundaries of storytelling through a visually striking and conceptually layered approach. Her practice combines two distinct yet interconnected methods. On one hand, she meticulously constructs poetic mise-en-scène, using deliberate framing, extended shots, and patient storytelling to create immersive, contemplative experiences. On the other, she embraces spontaneity, documenting the mundane to reveal hidden narratives and the beauty within ordinary moments. Through this dual approach, her work transforms everyday life into a poetic subject of inquiry, exploring what happens "when nothing happens."
A Fulbright scholar, student Emmy Award winner, and Howard MFA Film candidate, DIVA's works have been recently showcased at the Lincoln Center of Performing Arts, the Centre Georges Pompidou, the Guggenheim Museum for the exhibition "Sometimes it’s Beautiful," and the Tate Modern in London for "Southwark Untold Pempeople."
Awards & Residencies
2023 NATAS - Student Emmys Awards- Fiction Short Film
2023 Fulbright Grant Scholarships
2023 Georges Lurcy Fellowship
2022 Hexagram Scholarships Recipients
2021 IDFA DocLab Creative Funds
2021 Live Cinema UK Associate Artists
Exhibitions
2023
Trajectoires - Museum Centre Georges Pompidou
Paris, France
Si Cinema Festival
Caen, France
2022
New Orleans Black Indians Exhibition
Museum Quai Branly - Jacques Chirac
Paris, France
SAT Fest 2022
Montreal, Canada
Aesthetica Short Film Festival
York, UK
MAPP Festival 2022
Montreal, Canada
Stiftung Galerie für Zeitgenössische Kunst
Leipzig, Germany
2021
Sometimes it was beautiful
Guggenheim Museum
New York City, USA
Aesthetica Art Prize Exhibition - York Art Gallery
York, UK
York, UK
Festival International du Film sur l’Art (39e édition)
Montréal, Canada
Teatrino di Palazzo Grassi
Venice, Italy
Salts
Basel, Switzerland
Basel, Switzerland
We the Curious Planetarium
Bristol, United Kingdom
Festival Arts Souterrain
Montréal, Canada
Spill Festival
London, UK
2020
Artis Planetarium of Amsterdam
Amsterdam, Netherland
𝗱𝗼 {𝗻𝗼𝘁} 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵 doc lab - International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, Netherland
BlackStar Festival
Philadelphia, USA
Encontro de Cinema Negro Zózimo Bulbul
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
On Ancient Earth - Artist Expedition Society & Lumen
Alice Spring, Australia
Video Art Festival Turku
Turku, Finland
we may seek cosmic marronage but let’s remember our terrestrial obligations - 18th Streets Arts
Los Angeles, USA
Yebo Contemporary Art Gallery
Ezulwini, Eswatini
Kin Art Studio
Kinshasa, République Démocratique du Congo
Nubuke Fondation
Accra, Ghana
Raw Material Company
Dakar, Sénégal
Vansa
Johanesbourg, Afrique du Sud
Centre d’Art Waza
Lubumbashi, République Démocratique du Congo
Mahal Art Space
Tanger, Maroc
Straight Through The Wall
New York, USA
2019
Jeunes Créations, Programme Performance
Silencio, Paris, France
Pempeople Southwark Untold 2.0
Tate Modern, London, United Kingdom
Black South
Livesey Exchange Gallery, London, United Kingdom
2018
Havana Cultura ¡Subelo Cuba! Gilles Peterson
Rich Mix, London, United Kingdom
Les statues Baroques
Clermont Ferrand Interl Short Film Festival, Clermont, France
Contacts
Kitoko Diva
divam.promo[at]gmail.com
soundcloud