Footnotes

The present work epitomises Athi-Patra Ruga's playful interrogation of the legacies of socio-historical injustices in South Africa. The image captures a moment in a performance staged by Ruga on a monument erected to commemorate the Anglo-Boer War. Cocooned in a nest of multi-coloured balloons filled with dyed liquid, the artist stands atop the monument dressed in shocking pink tights and high heels. Traces of black, blue, red, and green liquid drip over the steps of the monument. The presence of the variegated fluids suggest that Ruga has popped several of the balloons that envelop their body to spoil the pristine surface of the sand-colored stone. The act, the aftermath of which is captured in the photograph, prompts the viewer to confront issues of national identity and public memory, as well as the way in which history is commemorated in contemporary South African society.

The character assumed by Ruga in The Intervention on the Anglo Boer Monument belongs to his series Future White Women of Azania (FWWoA, 2010-2016). Azania is the historic name given to areas of southern Africa. Transcending this historical context, Ruga draws upon the countercultural conception of Azania as a utopian Black nation that has transcended the oppressive interventions enacted by European colonizers.

Through performances of the FWWoA character, such as the one captured in the present image, the artist enacts an alternative lineage of historical experience centred on the experiences of those who are not remembered in public memorials. 'Azania is the utopia I've created', Ruga explains. 'Populated by a pantheon of recurring characters, [including the balloon-decked FWWoA], it is the story of black queer women in South Africa'. The present photograph is thus conceived as a visual document that seeks to diversify the country's historical narratives to confront the legacies of colonialism and apartheid that endure in contemporary society. The costume worn for the performance on the Anglo-Boer monument obscures the artist's gender and ethnicity to undermine the identity categories used by colonial and apartheid regimes to disempower marginalized groups in South Africa.

Born in 1984, Athi-Patra Ruga grew up in Umtata, South Africa. He studied fashion history and design at the Gordon Flack Davison Design Academy in Johannesburg. Reflecting his academic training, Ruga's practice incorporates diverse mediums and techniques including tapestry, costume, photography, sculpture, performance, installation, and video. In 2015, he was the recipient of the highly acclaimed Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Performance, confirming his position at the forefront of the contemporary art scene in South Africa. He now lives and works between Cape Town and Johannesburg.