Thania Petersen: Kassaram

KASSARAM is an open studio investigation by Thania Petersen as part of Zeitz MOCAA’s Atelier Residency program. KASSARAM means a big mess, out of place or upside down. KASSARAM is taken from the title of Petersen’s most recent film which analyses strategies used in creating and perpetuating cultural divides amongst people of colour through art, from colonialism to our present day. Thania Petersen is a Cape Town based multi-disciplinary artist who uses photography, performance and installation to address the intricacies and complexities of her identity in contemporary South Africa.

KASSARAM is a fitting way to describe the open and experimental nature of the Atelier space that Petersen will work from at Zeitz MOCAA. The Atelier is an experimental platform and residency at Zeitz MOCAA for Cape Town based artists. Consisting of a multi-gallery area on the museum’s second floor, it provides an opportunity for residents to use the museum as a studio – to create new work, conduct research and develop ideas for future projects. Making modes of production and processes public that are usually private, The Atelier provides museum visitors unique access and insight. Artists in turn are given an opportunity to reflect on their work in a public environment and interact with diverse visitors and communities through public programmes.

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