Topher Campbell splays his 'rukus' heart
What began as a living archive of queer Black British experience in the early 2000s has morphed into visual memoir for the interdisciplinary artist Topher Campbell. Told through three of his arthouse films including the uncompromising Fetish (2018) where he walks the streets of New York completely naked, an Afrofuturistic sculpture and intimate sound work composed of missed WhatsApp messages, Campbell isn't afraid to take risks. His installation at the Tate Modern, My rukus! Heart (2024) is both radical history of queer blackness and an ode to his community, as well as the formative collaboration with rukus! Federation co-founder, photographer Ajamu X.