Published
Thu, Mar 23, 2023, 22:15
- The New York-based event producer, curator and DJ was known for his unwavering support of queer artists.
Arthur Kozlovski, AKA Arthur Kozlov, a beloved figure in New York's dance music landscape, has passed away at the age of 32.
Kozlovski was a DJ, curator and founder of queer-owned livestreaming and resource platform Community Bread. The news was confimed by Bossa Nova Civic Club, where he was a resident, via an Instagram post this week. Cause of death remains unknown.
A native New Yorker, Kozlovski was committed to supporting queer artists through his parties ZODIACK and AGENDA, which featured a range of local and international talents. He consistently donated a portion of proceeds to several LTGBTQIA+ organisations and often collaborated with international queer collectives.
In May 2020, he created Community Bread with Paul Bui and Angela Fan to raise money and collect resources for marginalised artists impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The platform continued to organise well after lockdowns ended, raising nearly $100,000 for queer Ukrainian refugees last year thanks to a partnership with Beatport. Kozlovski also organised virtual festivals that featured the likes of Seth Troxler, DJ Minx, Ariel Zetina and Mike Servito.
"Arthur was highly skilled at making people happy," John Barclay, owner of Bossa Nova Civic Club, told Resident Advisor. "He was a great friend, organiser, DJ and one of the funniest people I've ever met. His comedy skills were from another dimension. It was like he was training for the Olympics or something. He would be dancing and shooting off jokes at the same time, seamlessly. So you're already experiencing some form of euphoric thing from the music and then he starts hitting you with relentless wit simultaneously."
"Arthur’s enthusiasm, energy and love for music and the queer community was beyond compare," said close friend Tovah Feinberg. "The dedication and thoughtfulness he put into fundraising through Community Bread and the ReConnect livestream for Ukrainian LGBTQIA+ refugees made a real impact in people’s lives. He was poised to continue his trajectory of being a leader in the community and instilling change for the better. His unique and vibrant spirit was full of vision, tenacity and drive. There has never been and never will be another Arthur."
"Even when I spoke to him last a few weeks ago, he was bouncing around ideas on how we could tell the stories of marginalised folks," Community Bread cofounder Paul Bui added. "No matter what Arthur was going through, he was always thinking of ways to amplify the voices of others. The most beautiful soul I've known. A selfless dreamer until the very end."
For more on Community Bread, visit its website and YouTube channel.
Read some more tributes to Kozlovski.
Update, March 24th: This piece was updated with a quote from Paul Bui, the cofounder of Community Bread.