PONOUN: "sHit" if not "she"
Born 1981 in Ho, Ghana, Va-Bene Elikem Fiatsi [crazinisT artisT] is a transwoman who works internationally but lives in Kumasi, Ghana. sHit is a multidisciplinary “artivist”, curator, mentor, the founder and artistic director of crazinisT artisT studio and perfocraZe International Artists Residency (pIAR) which aimed at promoting exchange between international and local artists, activists, researchers, curators, and thinkers. As a performer and installation artist, crazinisT investigates gender stereotypes, prejudices, queerness, identity politics and conflicts, sexual stigma and their consequences for marginalized groups or individuals. With rituals and a gender-fluid persona, sHit employs sHits own body as a thought-provoking tool in performances, photography, video, and installations, ‘life-and-live-art’ confronting issues such as disenfranchisement, social justice, violence, objectification, internalized oppression, anti blackness, systemic indoctrination and many more.
In 2006, crazinisT artisT graduated as a professional teacher from the then E.P Teacher Training college, Amedzofe (College of Education) after which sHit worked for Ghana Education Service until 2010. sHit also got a Bachelor Degree in Fine Arts - BFA (Painting) in 2014 and MFA (AbD) in 2017 from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana.
crazinisT has performed and exhibited across the globe including countries such as Nigeria, Togo, Ghana, Switzerland, South Africa, Germany, Netherlands, Cape Verde, USA, Spain, Brazil, France and UK.
sHit has also been featured in several, publications and magazines such as the I-D Vice London, I-D Vice Dutch, Financial times, King Kong Magazine, CCQ London, Maimi Rails, ‘Freeflowingvisuals’, TRT WORD Film Documentary, This is Africa, Art Ghana, Lost At E Minor, CNN, The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Die Tageszeitung (TAZ), Horizonte da Cena, Radio FRO etc
LIST OF EXHIBITIONS/PERFORMANCES
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2013-2015: https://www.crazinistartist.com/curriculum-vitae/