Our Commitment to Contemporary Art

At Rupture Magazine, we believe contemporary art is a vital force for societal reflection and personal growth. It does more than adorn walls—it questions, confronts, and transforms. We are committed to showcasing works that challenge perception, spark dialogue, and deepen understanding of the world we inhabit.

Recent projects exemplify this commitment. Tavares Strachan’s The First Supper (2024) reclaims Leonardo’s canonical image by placing overlooked Black historical figures at its center—a monumental act of visual historiography (Artforum, 2024). Shilpa Gupta’s sound installation For, In Your Tongue, I Cannot Fit (2023–2024) amplifies the voices of poets imprisoned for their words, transforming political absence into poetic presence (Frieze, 2024). Adriana Varejão’s latest Talavera works weave ceramic traditions and colonial histories into a textured critique of Brazil’s cultural legacies (ArtNews, 2023).

Through Zanele Muholi’s new self-portraits (2024), visual activism becomes intimate, using the artist’s own image to confront racism, queerphobia, and the politics of visibility (Hyperallergic, 2024). And Ai Weiwei’s revisiting of Dropping a Han Jar through an NFT–physical hybrid questions ownership, value, and the durability of dissent in the digital age (The Art Newspaper, 2023).

By engaging with such works, we aim to foreground art’s capacity not only to reflect society but also to rupture complacency—encouraging our readers to see, think, and feel differently.

The First Supper (Galaxy Black), Tavares Strachan, 2023 Tavares Strachan and Perrotin / Glenstone Museum / Jonty Wilde

Bhekezakhe, Parktown, 2016. Silver gelatin print Image size: 50 x 35.9cm Paper size: 60 x 45.9 cm © Zanele Muholi. Courtesy of Stevenson, Cape Town/Johannesburg and Yancey Richardson, New York

Ai Weiwei, Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn, 1995/2009 and Colored Vases, 2007-2010. Installation view of Ai Weiwei: According to What?, 2012, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, DC, USA. Photograph by Cathy Carver.

References

  1. Artforum (2024). Tavares Strachan: The First Supper. Artforum.com. Retrieved from https://www.artforum.com — A critical review exploring Strachan’s reimagining of canonical art history to center Black narratives.
  2. Frieze (2024). Shilpa Gupta: For, In Your Tongue, I Cannot Fit. Frieze.com. Retrieved from https://www.frieze.com — Analysis of Gupta’s politically charged sound installation amplifying suppressed voices.
  3. ArtNews (2023). Adriana Varejão’s Talavera Series. ArtNews.com. Retrieved from https://www.artnews.com — Contextualizes Varejão’s ceramics within Brazil’s colonial history and cultural hybridity.
  4. Hyperallergic (2024). Zanele Muholi’s Radical Self-Portraits. Hyperallergic.com. Retrieved from https://hyperallergic.com — Review of Muholi’s work as visual activism challenging racial and queer erasure.
  5. The Art Newspaper (2023). Ai Weiwei Reimagines Dropping a Han Jar. TheArtNewspaper.com. Retrieved from https://www.theartnewspaper.com — Examines Ai Weiwei’s NFT-physical hybrid and its commentary on value, ownership, and dissent.