With a complex multidisciplinary practice, Shikeith (b. 1989; Philadelphia, PA) interrogates the sociopolitical structures and histories that oppress the psychological landscapes of marginalized communities. Influenced by his interest in hauntology and spiritual traditions from the African diaspora, Shikeith's artwork both mines and speculates on methodologies of disentangling and reconciliation. His photographs employ magical realist aesthetics, creating elusive compositions challenging gender norms and asking viewers to engage with the invisible forces that shape their perception of the subjects depicted and self.
Works by Shikeith are held in the permanent collections of major public institutions, including the 21c Museum, Louisville, KY; Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, MD; Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, PA; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA; Newark Museum of Art, Newark, NJ; the Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.; Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Greensburg, PA; Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, SC; and the California African American Museum, Los Angeles, CA, among others. The artist has mounted solo and group exhibitions at the TILT Institute of Contemporary Image, Philadelphia, PA; MAK Gallery, London, UK; Locust Projects, Miami, FL; and The Mattress Factory Museum of Contemporary Art, Pittsburgh, PA, among others. Shikeith is the recipient of the 2026 Humanities in Place Grant from the Mellon Foundation and the 2025 VMFA Aaron Siskind Award for Photography from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Residencies include the Joan Mitchell Center, New Orleans, LA, and the Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program, New York, NY. Shikeith earned a BA in Integrative Arts from the Pennsylvania State University and an MFA from the Yale School of Art, New Haven, CT. The artist lives and works in Pittsburgh, PA.