Gabrielle Civil
Biography
Civil studied Comparative Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Michigan before earning graduate degrees in Comparative Literature from New York University. Her practice combines performance, poetry, conceptual art, installation, and writing, with Black feminist thought central to her work.
She has presented more than 50 solo and collaborative performance works addressing Black diaspora, embodiment, memory, desire, sexuality, and artistic collaboration. Her performance memoirs include Swallow the Fish, Experiments in Joy, (ghost gestures), the déjà vu, and In & Out of Place.
Civil joined the California Institute of the Arts faculty in 2018 and is currently Program Director of the MFA in Creative Writing and faculty in Creative Writing.
BQW Impact
Civil's work connects Black feminism, performance art, poetry, sexuality, and embodied memory. Her practice creates space for Black feminist inquiry through experimental performance and writing, while her teaching and collaborative projects extend that work to emerging artists and writers.
Notable Works
Say My Name (2014)
Ongoing performance action responding to the abduction of Nigerian girls through embodied remembering.
Swallow the Fish
Performance memoir exploring Black feminist performance practice.
Experiments in Joy
Hybrid performance memoir examining Black feminist collaboration, performance, and joy.
(ghost gestures)
Performance-writing chapbook exploring race, migration, desire, and embodiment.
the déjà vu
Performance memoir engaging Black time, memory, history, and racial violence.
In & Out of Place
Performance memoir exploring Civil's Black feminist performance practice and experiences in Mexico.
Learn More
Official artist website.
California Institute of the Arts
Current faculty and program-director profile.
Poetry, publications, and biography.
MAI: Feminism & Visual Culture
Civil's first-person discussion of a n e m o n e, sexuality, desire, and queerness.
Verified public social account.