Romanian artist Ruth Borgfjord questions position on women in religion on Smoqua through performance.
Ruth Borgfjord defines herself as a queer artist. Her work is multidisciplinary – she uses installations, performance, video art, photography and short films to convey a message.
She builds her work based on her own chronology combined with games of the imagination and research, linking activism with art.
At Smoqua, Ruth Borgfjord will be doing performance Ctitoria Clitoria. What does it mean? Ctitoria is holy place and Clitoria is derived from clitoris, erectile organ located in the external part of the vulva, the female genital organ. In this ten-minute performance, she questions the queer woman's role in religion. She challenges the existing religious norms that define the woman as holy if she is a mother, if she is a virgin, or both, and a lack of access to holy places, such as altars in orthodox Christianity. Furthermore, she destabilizes the concepts of gender and roles, holy and unholy, placing the woman in the role of the Messiah and the female genitalia as a sacred icon for worship. It preserves the canonical symbolism, bringing up to date, renewing its relevance. The work stems from the artist's confusion about religious beliefs with which she was raised about what is sacred and what is profane alongside her experience as a queer woman, creating a playful experience.
Smoqua - Festival of queer and feminist culture - here.
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Smoqua is a part of flagship Kitchen, Rijeka 2020 - European Capital of Culture.
Organisers: LORI + PaRiter, From the Citizens to Their City, Centar za ženske studije pri Filozofskom fakultetu u Rijeci
Smoqua is financially supported by: Rijeka 2020 – European Capital of Culture / Grad Rijeka / Primorje-Gorski Kotar county / Ministarstvo kulture Republike Hrvatske / Europska komisija / Musagetes
Sponsors: Adria print and Bordel La Grotta
Media sponsor: Novi list
