To Know One Another: Tea in the Gallery

Join us for tea and conversation with artist Nsenga Knight and special guest Sibok Shahid Najee-ullah, Head Instructor at the renowned SWAM Dojo in Jamaica, Queens. 

Tea will be provided first come first served while supplies last.

Knight’s visit to the Black Muslim-led SWAM Dojo on the occasion of their martial arts clinic in the summer of 2023 inspired the work The Clinic in her exhibition which is currently in view at the Queens Museum. The Dojo was founded in 1977 by Sijo Abdul Mutakabbir: "I have established this organization (SWAM) to enable me to give back to the community what the martial arts have given me; to reach out and help in the prevention of negative influences which have corrupted the young, such as drugs abuse, crime, and truancy. In doing so, I have been able to provide a safe and healthy atmosphere for everyone, where we can work and live in harmony. My major point of concentration is on human development; giving pride back to the men, self-respect to the women and discipline and hope to the children." 

Every word in The Clinic, written phrases on transparent iridescent sheets suspended in the gallery space, was spoken by the inspiring Black martial arts masters as they taught one another fighting techniques that strengthen the mind, body, and spirit with the intent to uplift their collective lives. They came together that weekend last summer to celebrate SWAM’s 45th anniversary and the city’s co-naming of the street on which they’re located in honor of the Dojo. For Knight, these words felt like poetry: true love, respect and honor for the individual and community. The Clinic captures this spirit and passes it on to other people who are suffering. Join Nsenga Knight in conversation with Sibok Shahid about the legacy and tradition he upholds as one of the most honored students of Sijo Abdul Mutakabbir, the Dojo’s founder.

To Know One Another: Tea in the Gallery with Nsenga Knight will also take place on the following dates at 3pm:

September 13

September 20

September 28

Bios:

Nsenga Knight (b. Brooklyn, New York, 1981) is an In Situ Artist Fellow at the Queens Museum. She has exhibited her work internationally, including: Contemporary Image Collective, Cairo, Egypt (2022); Drawing Center, New York, NY (2017, 2016); Project Row Houses, Houston, TX (2015); New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York, NY (2011); among others. Knight is a recipient of grants from Pollock-Krasner Foundation (2019), Foundation for Contemporary Art (2016), Brooklyn Arts Council (2007). She was an artist-in-residence at BRICworkspace, Brooklyn, NY (2019); and Film/Video Arts Center, New York, NY (2005) among others. She earned an MFA from University of Pennsylvania and a BA in Film from Howard University. She lives and works in New York.

Sibok Shahid Najee-ullah started his martial arts journey at the age of eight while living in New Rochelle, NY. In 1992 he started to train under Sijo Abdul Mutakabbir, founder of SWAM Martial Arts Academy, Queens, and earned his 1st Degree Black Belt and gained the title of Sifu in 2001. While teaching as an instructor at SWAM, in 2019 he received the rank of 7th Degree Black Belt and achieved the prestigious title of Sibok within the SWAM FuJuKa Boxing System. Sibok Shahid is a technical consulting engineer and continues to practice and teach at SWAM where his two sons are also students.

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