Va-Bene Elikem Fiatsi [crazinisT artisT]

The series "The Drummers and Their Drumbeats" by Ghanaian filmmaker Anita Afonu, commissioned by Culturescapes, focuses on a selection of artists whose works are presented in scope of Culturescapes 2023 Sahara. Born 1981 in Ho, Ghana, Va-Bene Elikem Fiatsi, also known as crazinisT artist, lives in Kumasi, Ghana and works internationally as a multidisciplinary “artivist”, curator, mentor, and founder and artistic director of perfocraZe International Artists Residency (pIAR). As a performer and installation artist, crazinisT investigates gender stereotypes, prejudices, queerness, identity politics, conflicts, sexual stigma, and their consequences for marginalized groups or individuals. With rituals and a gender-fluid persona, crazinisT often employs the human body as a thought-provoking tool in performances, photography, video, and installations, confronting issues such as disenfranchisement, social justice, violence, objectification, internalized oppression, anti-blackness, systemic indoctrination, and many more.