Tonight, October 10th, 5:10 PM, acclaimed artist Athi-Patra Ruga will be taking to the stage as part of the Stamps Speaker series. Hailing from South Africa, Athi-Patra Ruga combines performance art, textiles, printmaking, photography, and mixed media to explore ideas of cultural identity, utopia, and dystopia.
The following short video clip provides footage of his piece of performance art for the Roskilde Festival. The lively colors and surreal nature of this piece are both very characteristic of Ruga’s individual style.
This work is a part of his continuing series,The Future White Women of Azania which features the unique motif of exaggerated female characters, often played by Ruga himself. A contrast is drawn between their exposed legs and their upper bodies, which are completely swallowed by brightly colored balloons.
Tonight’s lecture will also mark the debut of Ruga’s latest project, Queens in Exile. Bellow are several assorted photos relating to this project, taken from his studio’s Facebook page, giving us a brief taste of what’s to come.
Tonight’s presentation, like all of the speaker series, will be free to the general public. I advise you to get there early to secure the best seats!
Featured Image from Lumieres D’Afriques
