MAKING A RUKUS is a brand new exhibition exploring the joy, friendship, resistance and art of Black LGBTQIA+ people in Britain. Curated by artist, filmmaker and co-founder of rukus! federation, Topher Campbell, it explores Black Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans creativity, activism, community and pride through archive materials, contemporary artworks and brand-new commissions, celebrating the work of Black LGBTQ+ pioneers and artists since the 1970s. The exhibition demonstrates that the rukus! archive, which takes its inspiration from causing a ruckus, or making a noise, is not a work of static historical documentation, but an ongoing and vital series of political and artistic interventions that bears witness to the joy, friendship, resistance, and creative endeavors of Black LGBTQ+ people in Britain.
Artist, performer and former Somerset House Studios associate artist Evan Ifekoya has been commissioned to present a re-staging of a body of work – A Score, A Groove, A Phantom, A rukus! – an interactive installation to create an immersive club-like space for visitors to explore.
Throughout the run of the exhibition, we will fly a rukus! flag, designed by multidisciplinary artist Jacob V Joyce, symbolizing the ongoing impact and legacy of the rukus! Federation.
