chapter R

when the trees, oceans, and lands recovered forgotten spells from their blood

Performative work by artist donna Kukama took place at coculture's space on December 5th 2021 with the support of Nyabinghi Lab. Kukama developed the Chapter R of her project “the history book for those who absolutely need to be remembered” (2015-ongoing).

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A powerful and moving work commemorating Black lives and stories in the leading struggles of communist Wedding Berlin and asking questions on the lives of Black women erased from that history. Making breath and space for connecting to ancestral spirit with the amplification of sounds and casting spells against oppressors through food, waters, earth and words.

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Lab Project

The Lab category features emerging project concepts exploring future artistic possibilities. These sketches represent coculture's exploratory spirit, highlighting innovative ideas awaiting development.

While realization isn't guaranteed, this space invites viewers to envision the potential of transformative art and cultural narratives.

About the artist

Donna Kukama (b. 1981, South Africa) is an interdisciplinary artist whose practice engages performance as a tool for creative research. Her work challenges dominant historical narratives and value systems, centering perspectives from the Global South. Moving fluidly between performance, video, text, sound, and multimedia installation, Kukama’s practice remains experimental and deliberately undisciplined. Through poetic and politically charged gestures, she disrupts institutional spaces, inserting overlooked voices and stories into public memory.

Kukama has performed and exhibited internationally at institutions including Tate Modern, the South London Gallery, Iziko South African National Gallery, and Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens. She has participated in major biennials such as São Paulo (2016), Moscow (2015), and Venice (2013). She was awarded the Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Performance Art (2014) and the Wyss Scholarship at ECAV, Switzerland (2005). Currently, she is a professor of Contemporary Art with a focus on the Global South at the Academy of Media Arts (KHM) in Cologne and a research associate at the University of Johannesburg. Her work is held in collections such as the Johannesburg Art Gallery, Iziko South African National Gallery, and Wits Art Museum.

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