Roberta Joy Rich on The Purple Shall Govern
Melbourne based artist, Roberta Joy Rich is an educator, curator and multi-disciplinary artist.
“Roberta engages in a process of re-framing materials to unearth silenced narratives and the possibilities they conjure. Referencing her own diaspora southern African identity and experiences, she utilises language, archives and sometimes satire, in her video, performance, installation and mixed media projects. ”
Her latest project, ‘The Purple Shall Govern’ takes inspiration from a remarkable day in South African Apartheid history, when the people and streets at a 1989 Cape Town protest were painted purple.
The Purple March was an anti-apartheid protest held in 1989, four days before South Africa’s racially segregated parliament held its elections. A police water cannon filled with purple dye was sprayed on the Mass Democratic Movement supporters.
Artist, Roberta Joy Rich joins Danae Gibson on Artbeat to discuss how this unusual event inspired her work, and its connections to Australian colonial history.
Image by Roberta Joy Rich
