Selwa Abd is a moroccan-born artist, music composer and designer based in New York City.
Operating under the moniker Bergsonist, she utilizes intuitive techniques to explore multifaceted themes of identity, social politics, and technology  across various mediums, including video, design, audio-visual performances, and music composition.
Her prolific and thought-provoking output challenges critical questions surrounding the future of technology, her own fragmented personal identity shaped by the complexities of post-colonial urban environments, and the influence of virtual realities on contemporary society.
Inspired by Deleuze's interpretation of Henri Bergson's philosophical framework, she embraces intuition as a legitimate method for investigating these complex issues in all her creative endeavors. In her sound performances, she thoughtfully blends electronic manipulations with acoustic sounds, drawing inspiration from musique concrète and minimalism traditions.
Her debut album "Middle Ouest" was released in 2020 via Optimo Music. Shortly after, she got commissioned to compose the original music of the film "Jmar" by Samy Sidali.Â
Selwa collaborated with a wide range of cultural agents and artists from the art and music worlds, including: Depeche Mode, Meriem Bennani, Miho Hatori, Asif Mian, Meow Wolf, Tresor Records, Boiler Room and Eva Davidova among others.
She is a recipient of the SACEM grant (2020), Harvestworks Technology Immersion Program Grant & Fellowship (2022), the Issue Project Room Residency (2022) and The Jerome Hill Artist Alternate Award (2023).
Selwa has shown works at MOMA Ps1, Roulette, Moogfest , The Center for Performance Research, Basilica Hudson, Fridman Gallery, The James Gallery, 47 Canal, The Brooklyn Film Festival  to name a few.
Selwa has earned recognition from outlets including The Washington Post, BOMB Magazine, GQ Middle East Magazine, Bandcamp Daily, Resident Advisor and Artforum. Her music has been released on labels such as Optimo Music and Tresor Records.
Selwa is the founder of the community resource Pick Up The Flow and the publishing imprint BIZAARBAZAAR. She's also a NTS Radio Resident and host of the PUTF podcast.
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Portrait by Dean Majd, For GQ Middle East Magazine, 2022