Ceramic by Ra Ramsis Farag

Ra Farag is a multi sensory ceramic artist making objects and relics, from clay. Using a combination of wheel throwing, hand building and press moulds made from objects and souvenirs found around my childhood home. The works are displayed in site specific arrangements, filled with North African spices, invoking senses of memory, belonging or curiosity.

They make these relics to assert the existence of people like them- Queer, Trans, Afro and Arab people. There is such little public, monumental celebration of Black and Brown people, let alone QTBIPOC people. Our ancient ancestors used clay for many practical and artistic purposes, objects that document their history and existence in a material that has stood the test of time. From these objects we learn that Ancient Arabs and Africans were undeniably Queer in the expression of gender and sexuality, despite the erasure of this in mainstream history books.

If white men can monumentalise and be celebrated for violent  genocidal acts then, we too, can monumentalise the divine and beautiful existence of QTBIPOC people. Firing ceramic objects is not a decision taken lightly, they will remain in the world forever. Farag makes this decision to immortalise such objects because people like us have always existed and will exist forever.