My creative practice takes place on the lands of the Boonwurrung and Wurundjeri Woiwurrung peoples of the Kulin Nation. I pay my respects to their Elders past and present, their ancestors and families, acknowledging their deep and ongoing spiritual connection to Country. I extend my respects to Wathaurong Waddawurrung peoples, whose lands I was birthed and raised upon that have deeply shaped me and my experiences.

I acknowledge Boonwurrung and Wurundjeri custodianship of the lands, waterways and skies that I continue to live, work and benefit from, recognising that sovereignty was never ceded. I come with an intention to deepen my understanding of ancestral pathways as a diasporic being, while sharing, learning and creating on unceded lands (Melbourne, Australia).

I extend this acknowledgement and pay my respects to peer African and Indigenous peoples across the globe viewing this website.

DENY / DENIAL / DENIED - Bubblegum Club

Bubblegum Club, Johannesburg
,
12 - 13 May 2016

Bubblegum Club is hosting DENY / DENIAL / DENIED, the culmination of Roberta Joy Rich’s studio residency at Assemblage. Roberta has been in residence at Assemblage Studios since February 2016. Her time at Assemblage now culminates with an exhibition of new works and an artist discussion between herself and artist Thenjiwe Niki Nkosi.

Roberta's work examines notions of authenticity with regards to concepts of identity. She draws from her autobiographical position as a primary source of research, exploring how her South African and Australian identity simultaneously ‘pass’, ’fail’ and ‘speak’ within varying contexts. Particularly focusing on constructions of ‘race’ identity, Roberta attempts to subvert racial stereotypes with ambiguity, satire and humour in her video, installation, performance and text projects. Her engagement with language is part of a sustained practice seeking to deconstruct the problematic representation(s) and language of ‘race’ that continues to inform identity construction.

This work developed during her residency at Assemblage responds to instances of cross-examination encountered, South Africa’s history, the artist's personal relationship to these histories and what it means to be ‘Coloured.’ Through forms of tapestry, silkscreen print, photography and text Roberta explores the cultural attachmen to racialsed languages, fetishism of African identity and the complexities within diasporic African experiences.

DENY / DENIAL / DENIED opens on Thursday 12th May at 6pm and will close with the artist discussion on Sunday 15th May, 2pm at Bubblegum Club.

Artist Roberta Joy Rich stands against a white gallery wall between framed text-based prints. Eight black-framed works repeat the words "deny, denial, denied" over archival documents, and a white-framed print reads "coloured™" in rainbow letters.
White brick gallery wall beneath an industrial glass ceiling. Displayed are a vintage Africa-themed scarf overpainted with pink text, two frayed tapestries reading "coloured™" — one gold on black, one rainbow on white — and a wall-mounted screen showing a black-and-white portrait of a woman.
Four black-framed prints in a grid. The top two overlay apartheid-era documents with the repeated words "deny, denial, denied" and "coloured™" in red; the bottom two repeat the same words in black and gold type, one interweaving the Afrikaans "nie."
Four black-framed screenprints layering the repeated words "deny, denial, denied" in bold black type over pages from A Survey of Race Relations, 1977 and other apartheid-era texts about race classification and the Immorality Act.
A poster on a glass door invites visitors to the Deny / Denial / Denied exhibition by Roberta Rich, opening 12 May 2016 at the Bubblegum Club, Johannesburg, with an artist conversation with Thenjiwe Nkosi. A visitor and framed prints are visible through the glass.
Two African visitors wearing beanies and sweatshirts study four black-framed prints that layer the bold repeated words "deny, denial, denied" over reproduced pages of apartheid-era race legislation.
An African male visitor in a leather jacket and wide-brimmed hat looks closely at four framed typographic prints repeating "deny, denial, denied," one overlaid with "coloured™" in red.
Extreme close-up of a screenprint with the words "deny, denial, denied" repeated in overlapping black and gold lowercase type on white paper, with shallow depth of field.
Macro detail of overlapping letters from the words "deny" and "denial" in solid black and outlined metallic gold ink on white paper.
A white-framed print on a white wall showing the single word "coloured™" in rainbow-gradient lowercase letters centred on white paper, with the artist's pencil signature below.
Two frayed, tea-stained, needlepoint canvas tapestries pinned to a white brick wall. The left shows "coloured™" in gold thread on a black rectangle; the right shows "coloured™" stitched in rainbow letters on white cotton.
Macro detail of a tapestry showing part of the word "coloured" stitched in shimmering metallic gold thread against dense black wool.
Macro detail of needlepoint stitching showing the letters "c" and "o" in red and orange wool on a cream woven background.
Close-up of the word "coloured™" stitched in rainbow-coloured thread — red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and pink — surrounded by white needlepoint cotton on needlepoint canvas.
Roberta Joy Rich smiles at the camera wearing a black "coloured" T-shirt, gold brocade jacket, hoop earrings, and sunglasses atop her hair, standing before her two "coloured™" tapestries.
A wall-mounted screen displays a black-and-white frontal portrait of a woman - the artist Roberta Joy Rich - with long curly hair gazing at the camera, is part of a video work in the exhibition.
An African male visitor with a backpack watches a wall-mounted video showing a black-and-white profile portrait of a woman, with a caption reading "Brow length: 55mm" beneath the image.
Two African men view a white-framed print on a gallery wall reading "coloured™" in rainbow-coloured letters. One wears a colourful cap and Nike windbreaker, the other a patterned jumper.
A vintage silk souvenir scarf pinned to a white wall, printed with African animals and Indigenous figures in olive tones, with "Bushman Paintings Africa" in one corner. The words "your idea of africa sucks" are overprinted in pink cursive.
Close-up detail of the scarf showing pink hand-lettered text layered over dark silhouetted figures and smoky brushwork on cream fabric.
An African woman with long dark hair holds a tablet in a purple case while looking up beside the artwork "your idea of africa sucks" scarf that is mounted on the white gallery wall.
Two smiling artists pose arm in arm wearing black "coloured™" t-shirts with gold lettering. Behind them hang framed prints repeating the words "deny, denial, denied".
A folded black t-shirt printed with "coloured™" in gold lettering lies on a wooden table beside an exhibition pamphlet.
A woman - artist Roberta Joy Rich - wearing space buns, hoop earrings and a gold brocade jacket stands beside a smiling bearded African man in a black sweater, with the scarf artwork blurred behind them.
Two Black hands hold up an iPad photographing a grid of four framed text prints; the works repeat the words "deny, denial, denied" over archival documents.
Two young African men study four black-framed prints in which the words "deny, denial, denied" are printed in bold type over pages from a 1977 survey of race relations.
A young African man in a black beanie and grey sweatshirt looks up at a framed print where "coloured™" appears in red within layers of repeated "deny, denial, denied" black text.
Close-up of a print: "coloured™" in red overlaps dense layers of black type listing apartheid-era racial reclassifications such as "Cape Coloured to White".
The artist in a gold brocade jacket and "coloured™" t-shirt clasps her hands and looks at the camera; behind her a visitor photographs the rainbow "coloured™" print.
The artist gestures while talking with three African male visitors wearing beanies and sweatshirts. Behind them hang "coloured™" tapestries and a screen showing a black-and-white portrait of a woman- the artist in her video work.
The artist, holding a Black Label bottle, chats with a group of African male visitors wearing beanies and hoodies inside the bright gallery.
Two African women talk in front of black-framed "deny, denial, denied" prints; one wears a brown hat and coat, the other a gold rose-patterned brocade jacket.
Visitors of various ethnicities socialise with drinks outside the glass-fronted gallery, some seated and standing upon the brick paving; a mural reading "Workshop Newtown" is visible in the background.
A crowd circles the gallery listening to two female artists wearing black tshirts that read "coloured™" in gold, address the room. A woman is taking photos from a purple tablet stands beside the two artists during the exhibition opening.
View through glass doors of a packed gallery exhibition opening: dozens of visitors face the artists, who address the crowd beside a wood table. An African man in a red jumper stands behind the table while holding a camera towards the crowd.

Photo's by Zelé Angelides.