Selwa Abd is a moroccan-born artist, music composer and freelance designer / consultant based in
New York City.
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.
Selwa collaborated with a diverse array of cultural artists spanning the realms of both the art and music worlds. Her musical compositions were showcased in exhibitions of contemporary visual artists, she also remixed the works of musical artists, including Depeche Mode.
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 , National Sawdust, EKKO Festival, Sonic Arts Festival, Issue Project Room x The Center for Performance Research, Basilica Hudson, Fridman Gallery, The James Gallery, 47 Canal and The Brooklyn Film Festival to name a few.
Selwa has earned recognition from outlets including The Washington Post, BOMB Magazine, GQ Middle East Magazine, Resident Advisor, Mixmag Mena 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 been a NTS Radio DJ resident since 2018.
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CV contact
ig bandcamp
Projects
Pick Up The Flow
In 2017, Selwa founded Pick Up The Flow/PUTF, an online community and resource-sharing platform aiming to democratize access to opportunities. Opportunity listings are shared daily via the website and Instagram page (weekly via the newsletter).
The platform was initially designed to facilitate connections among musicians and creative people in NYC by offering a space to sell gear, share knowledge, post apartment listings, and more.
Currently, PUTF exists as an Instagram feedwith over 40K followers, a website, a newsletter (average open rate: 69.4%), a private FB group (2.1K members) and an interview series.
Since its inception, PUTF has organized various events, including workshops, radio broadcasts, and swap meets, in response to the changing dynamics of the music, art, and culture industries. The platform seeks to pave new paths forward through collective models of trust, both online and offline. PUTF’s mission is to promote access to resources and combat the dominant greed in the art and technology industry.
Selwa has contributed and continues to contribute to the visual identity and branding, as well as the curatorial program of PUTF.
Selected Clients:
Queens Council On The Arts, Times Square Arts, The Joyce Foundation, Pepsico, Printed Matter, Inc, e-flux, The Laundromat Project, Institute For Studies On Latin American Art, Staten Island Arts, Mexican Summer, Apexart, Alfred University, Woodward Residency, Abrons Arts Center, Fractured Atlas, Something Special Studios, MIT Lab Poetic Justice, The American Trust for The British Library, Jeff Koons, Ethan James Green, Foundwork, Center for Book Arts, Children’s Museum of the Arts, Lighthouse Works, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Issue Project Room, Studio Museum In Harlem, Storefront for Art and Architecture and more.
Pick Up The Flow’s official website Pick Up The Flow’s Substack
Bizaarabazaar
In 2010, Selwa founded Bizaarbazaar, a not for profit and advertisement-free music platform that began as a blog, a sonic archive, and a hub for conceptual compilations.
Her goal was to provide an alternative to the elitist music publications of the era and establish a platform for emerging and underrated musicians. The aim was to disrupt the established order and shape a fresh narrative. The project garnered momentum and earned acknowledgment from diverse music labels and cultural influencers within the industry.
Selwa contributed to the whole visual identity and curatorial program of the platform/label.
Bizaarbazaar's achievements have gained acknowledgment from various publications, including Wire , and its creations have found distribution through notable bookshops like Motto Books Berlin and Printed Matter NYC.
T-shirt compilation for BB, 2019Double cassette + Zine compilation for BB, 2017Zine compilation for BB, Layout Design by Stephen Decker, 2017Bizaarbazaar’s old blog/ platform hosted on Wordpress, 2012-2017Double cassette + Zine compilation for BB, 2017