Qiana Mestrich
Qiana Mestrich is a photography-focused, interdisciplinary artist based in New York. A first-generation American born to parents from Panama and Croatia, Mestrich's work often references Black, mixed-race and transcultural experiences. She has been exhibited worldwide including the 2021 international Triennial RAY Fotografieprojekte Frankfurt/RheinMain, the BRIC Biennial: Volumen III in 2019 and London Art Fair’s Photo50 in 2018. Mestrich’s work is held in the Peggy Cooper Cafritz collection of contemporary art and other private collections in the United States.
Knowledge sharing and community building is a vital part of Mestrich’s practice. In 2007 she founded Dodge & Burn: Decolonizing Photography History, an arts initiative that aims to diversify the medium’s history by advocating for photographers of color. Dodge & Burn began as a blog and now functions as a monthly critique group that meets in person in New York City and virtually. Her forthcoming book based on the blog’s past interviews is to be published in 2022 by Routledge/Taylor & Francis.
Mestrich has written essays on photography for exhibition catalogs and published critical writing in art journals such as Light Work’s Contact Sheet and En Foco’s Nueva Luz. She is also co-editor of the book How We Do Both: Art and Motherhood (Secretary Press), a diverse collection of honest responses from contemporary artists who dare to engage in the creative endeavors of motherhood and making art.
