Kia LaBeija

Kia LaBeija was born and raised in Hell's Kitchen, New York.[3][4] Her mother, Kwan Bennet, was born in Subic Bay, Philippines and is Filipino American. Her father, drummer Warren Benbow, was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York and is African American. She grew up in Manhattan Plaza, the famed artist housing building in midtown Manhattan.[5] She attended the Professional Performing Arts School and was in the dance program at Alvin Ailey.[6]

In 1993, LaBeija was diagnosed with HIV at the age of three, having contracted the virus through perinatal (mother-to-child) transmission.[3] Her mother, Kwan, passed away of AIDS-related illness when LaBeija was 14.[4][7]

LaBeija studied the arts at Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts at The New School in Manhattan. At the age of 19, while at The New School, she became involved in the house and ballroom scene.[4]

Kia LaBeija's work explores her identities primarily through photography and dance.[8] Her series 24 investigates her relationship to growing up with HIV as a woman of color in New York City.[9] Her works have been included in group exhibitions, performances, and screenings at The Whitney Museum of American Art, Brooklyn Museum, The Studio Museum in Harlem, The Museum of The City of New York, The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture / The New York Public Library, International Center for Photography, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, La MaMa Galleria, Tacoma Art Museum, Zuckerman Museum of Art, The City University of New York, Bronx River Arts Center, Yossi Milo, Daniel Cooney Fine Art, Baby Company, ONE Archives Gallery and Museum, and Wellcome Collection in London, UK.

LaBeija's work was featured as part of Art AIDS America, a touring group exhibition looking at 30 years of art making around HIV and AIDS. The show gained controversial press as there were only 5 black artists out of the 107 featured, with LaBeija being the only black woman.[10] In January 2018, she was featured on the cover of Artforum, the first issue David Velasco published as Editor-in-Chief. She achieved this without gallery representation, major art collectors, or a solo show.[11] Speaking on LaBeija, Velasco said: "There is something marvelous and special about [Kia LaBeija's] self-portraits. Glamour dresses up the oldest wounds. She is an actress playing herself whole, and this somehow makes it so."[12] She is a recipient of a 2019 Creative Capital Award with her partner Taina Larot,[13] and was commissioned by Performa for their 2019 Performa Biennial.[14]

LaBeija came in the house/ballroom scene at the age of 19 in 2009 through a co-worker at Webster Hall.[15] She performed in nightclubs around New York City, including Susanne Bartsch and Kenny Kenny's Vandam party at Greenhouse. She began walking balls officially in 2012 and walked as a LaBeija for the first time at the last Latex Ball at Roseland Ballroom.[16] She received the Hector Xtravaganza Xellence Award, named after her late gay father Hector Xtravaganza. In 2015, she was awarded the first Woman's Old Way Vogue of the Year. In 2016, she starred in band Pillar Point's viral music video Dove, which has streamed over five million times since its release.[17]

LaBeija appeared in the Pilot episode of Ryan Murphy's Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated ballroom drama Pose as a principal dancer,[18] and was featured in Wu Tsang's film Into a Space for Love for Gucci and Frieze Magazine.[19] Other credits include A-Z of Aaliyah for i-d Magazine and MAC[20] and Calvin Harris and Sam Smith's lyric video for Promises.[21] In 2017, she was made Overall Mother of the Royal House of LaBeija, and stepped down officially in 2019.

Kia LaBeija is an advocate for many underrepresented communities, especially people living with HIV/AIDS.[3] She focuses on women and children born with the virus. She has been invited to speak at the CUNY Graduate Center, New York University, the New York Public Library, and Stanford University.[3] POZ magazine placed her on the POZ 100 list of HIV/AIDS activists under 30. She has also been featured on HIV Plus Magazine's 20 Most Amazing HIV Positive Women list. Additionally, LaBeija advocates for the respect of artists.[5]

In 2019, LaBeija was honored by Performance Space New York.[22] She was listed in Dazed Magazine's 20 best photos of 2018[23] and PAPER Predictions: 100 People Taking Over 2019[11]. She has been further featured in VICE, W Magazine, Vogue Spain, Vanity Fair Italia, The New York Times, Numero Magazine, Accent Magazine, SLEEK, Paper Magazine, and Time Out New York.

• Official Website