b.1984, Mthatha

Athi-Patra Ruga is an artist of baroque excess. Embellishments and high-gloss finishes characterise much of his work across mediums, be it photographic, performative or sculptural. The petit point tapestries for which he is perhaps best known are rich in colour and detail, sensual in their tactile materiality and bold in their imagery. Such is the artist’s vision of Azania, an African utopia of imagined abundance and indulgence. Ruga’s opulent – even flamboyant – practice centres on the allure of this lost paradise. It proves a compelling counterpoint with which to critique South Africa’s broken ‘rainbow nation’ promise. Ruga, who studied fashion, is particularly attuned to the agendas of aesthetic expression. “With my work,” he says, “I want to create new mythologies and stories to disrupt the body national – I want to disrupt elements of taste, especially when taste is used nationalistically.” Hidden beneath the visual decadence of Ruga's practice is the more serious weight of social criticism.