As a visual artist and researcher, Ekhiñe works under the pseudonym Kiva Sakona. Her practice involves writing, video and installation work. She explores how the aesthetic experiences of everyday life are tied to the ways in which advanced capitalism captures desire. She creates environments and narratives that mobilize imagination in an attempt to withdraw from the logic of the attention economy. While holding space for humour, her work creates conditions for deep attention and awareness of embodied experience.
In 2017 Ekhiñe founded What The Studio (WTS), an Amsterdam-based design practice specialized in communication design that helps organizations to think conceptually, visually and materially about their projects. In doing so, WTS engages in ongoing collaborations with photographers, artists, designers, web developers, institutions and cultural events. WTS's clients include TENT Rotterdam, Dutch Design Foundation, Amsterdam University of the Arts, Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security, Sharp Type, Boogaerdt/Van der Schoot, Veem House for Performance, or ARWE Gallery, among others.
bio
Ekhiñe holds a research master’s degree in Artistic Research from the University of Amsterdam. She graduated from The University of the Basque Country and Aarhus University in Denmark with a Bachelor’s degree in Audiovisual Communication, from ESCAC Film School of Catalonia with a Master’s degree in Film Art Direction, and from Bau Art and Design College of Barcelona with a degree in Graphic Design.
She has worked as an independent film art director for diverse film productions and as a visual designer at design studios including Two Points.Net, De Designpolitie, What Design Can Do and Thonik. Her design work has been published in publications such as Dezeen, AIGA Eye on Design or Eye Magazine, and has been awarded by LAUS Design Awards, European Design Awards and ADCN Dutch Creativity Awards.
visual artist and designer
As a visual artist, Ekhiñe works under the pseudonym Kiva Sakona. Her practice involves writing, video and installation work. She explores how the aesthetic experiences of everyday life are tied to the ways in which advanced capitalism captures desire with its own instruments. She creates environments and narratives that mobilize imagination in an attempt to withdraw from the logic of the attention economy. While holding space for humour, her work creates conditions for deep attention and awareness of embodied experience.
In 2017 she founded What The Studio (WTS), an Amsterdam-based design practice specialized in communication design that helps organizations to think conceptually, visually and materially about their projects. In doing so, WTS engages in ongoing collaborations with photographers, artists, designers, web developers, institutions and cultural events.
bio
Ekhiñe holds a research master’s degree in Artistic Research from the University of Amsterdam. She graduated from The University of the Basque Country and Aarhus University in Denmark with a Bachelor’s degree in Audiovisual Communication, from ESCAC Film School of Catalonia with a Master’s degree in Film Art Direction, and from Bau Art and Design College of Barcelona with a degree in Graphic Design.
She has worked as an independent film art director for films and music videos and as a visual designer at design studios including Two Points.Net, De Designpolitie, What Design Can Do and Thonik. Her design work has been published in diverse publications, such as Dezeen, AIGA Eye on Design or Eye Magazine, and has been awarded by LAUS Design Awards, European Design Awards and ADCN Dutch Creativity Awards.