Editor INES_Magazina
Yohanna Magdalene Roa is a transcultural researcher, art critic, and curator based in New York, whose work focuses on feminist, decolonial, and intersectional methodologies in contemporary art, archives, and exhibition-making. She holds a PhD (Cum Laude) in History and Critical Theories of Art from the Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico, an MA in Women and Gender Studies from the CUNY Graduate Center, an MA in Visual Arts from UNAM, and a BFA from INDEBA, Colombia.
Her research examines historiography, material culture, textile practices, feminist archives, and alternative genealogies, bridging artistic practice with critical theory and curatorial inquiry. She is the founder of INES – Intersectional Expanded System, a transdisciplinary research and archival framework addressing gender, memory, and human rights through art and documentary practices.
Roa writes regularly for Art Nexus Magazine and has contributed critical texts to WhiteHot Magazine, INES_Magazina, and other international publications. Since 2022, she has served as curator and project developer at WhiteBox New York, where she has led multiple research-driven exhibitions and public programs. She is currently the curator of WhiteBox Portable, an expanded curatorial platform operating within the New York City MTA public transit system.
Her curatorial projects include exhibitions and research-based programs at WhiteBox New York, Museo La Tertulia (Cali), Centro Cultural Universitario Tlatelolco (UNAM), and other institutions in the United States, Mexico, and Colombia, with a strong emphasis on feminist, diasporic, and community-based practices.
She has lectured and participated in international conferences at institutions such as LASA, MUAC–UNAM, MACAD–ENCRYM–INHA, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Mexico, and universities across Latin America, Europe, and the United States. Roa has served as a jury member for international grants and festivals, including Wienwoche (Vienna), the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund, and the Liu Shiming Art Foundation.
Alongside her research and curatorial work, Roa maintains an active artistic practice that informs her theoretical and methodological approach. Her work has been widely published and is part of public and private collections, including the Centro Cultural Universitario Tlatelolco (UNAM). She is represented as an artist by Galería Ana Tejeda, Mexico City.