Deal with Identity: Yhuri Cruz’s Bold Artistic Tribute to the Black Diaspora1 -

By : Bubblegum Club

Deal with Identity: Yhuri Cruz’s Bold Artistic Tribute to the Black Diaspora

Yhuri Cruz is a multi-disciplinary Brazilian artist whose work spans performance, sculpture, drawing, writing, and film. Drawing inspiration from the experiences and cultural expressions of the Black diaspora in Brazil, Cruz uses historical reflection, fiction, memory, and everyday life to build a compelling and layered narrative of Afro-Brazilian identity.

Understanding the Diaspora Through Art

One of Cruz’s most acclaimed ongoing series, Cenas Pretofágicas, reimagines colonial memory and resistance. The series offers a platform for artistic expressions that challenge systems of power and racial oppression while celebrating Black cultural resilience.

Cruz’s work stands at the crossroads of decolonial activism and artistic experimentation, offering fresh interpretations of historical trauma, ancestral strength, and contemporary Black identity.

Historical Roots and Political Voice

Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1991, Cruz studied Political Science at UNIRIO and cultural journalism at UERJ. His academic background informs his critical lens and empowers his ability to confront political and cultural hegemonies through art.

In his 2019 performance, Monumento à voz de Anastácia, Cruz honored the voice of Anastácia—an enslaved African woman symbolizing resistance by giving her a contemporary voice in public discourse. This monumental act of remembrance challenged the colonial silence imposed on Black Brazilian history.

Cenas Pretofágicas: Blackness as Central Narrative

Cenas Pretofágicas translated roughly as “Blackfagic Scenes”challenges dominant narratives by inserting Black bodies, voices, and stories into Brazil’s mainstream cultural sphere. The scenes combine theater, public intervention, storytelling, and sculpture to demand visibility and justice.

By referencing Yorùbá cosmologies, ancestral symbolism, and Brazilian resistance movements, Cruz’s work becomes a radical act of cultural preservation and transformation.

International Recognition and Exhibitions

Cruz was a finalist for the prestigious PIPA Prize in 2019 and the winner of the Reynaldo Roels Jr. Award in 2020. His performances and installations have been featured in São Paulo, Geneva, Zurich, Lisbon, and Paris, as well as through initiatives such as Delfina Foundation.

These global appearances affirm the growing relevance of Cruz’s art in conversations about decoloniality, intersectionality, and identity politics worldwide.

Community, Performance, and Transformation

Cruz’s performances are often community-oriented, involving audiences directly in the act of remembrance and political dialogue. Whether it’s through collective rituals, spoken word, or symbolic installations, his work aims to democratize historical knowledge and reimagine the archive of Black memory.

His practice goes beyond museums and galleries it occupies public spaces, invites participation, and destabilizes conventional artistic boundaries.

The African Diaspora Connection

Another vital dimension of Cruz’s work is its connection to the African diaspora at large. While grounded in Brazilian experience, his narratives resonate with communities across Africa, the Americas, and Europe. This global relevance is reflected in how his art circulates in diasporic networks, academic institutions, and exhibitions abroad.

The emphasis on cultural memory and transnational identity reflects the lived experience of many in the diaspora those who balance heritage, migration, and identity struggles. Cruz’s art helps diaspora communities see their realities mirrored and celebrated.

To explore more about the African diaspora in contemporary culture, visit VOA Africa’s Diaspora Section.

Challenging the Colonial Archive

At the heart of Cruz’s philosophy is the belief that history must be rewritten—not only with facts but with emotional truth, lived experience, and alternative voices. His work challenges Brazil’s colonial archive by asking: whose memory is being preserved? And whose voice is missing?

This questioning transforms his exhibitions into active spaces of dialogue, inviting reflection, education, and reparation. His art acts as both memorial and rebellion.

Original article: Yhuri Cruz: Scenes from a Black Diaspora

Published by: Bubblegum Club

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