Drowned Bodies Never Die, 500pc

500 Piece Puzzle featuring artwork by Thania Petersen

South African artist Thania Petersen can trace her lineage back to Tuan Guru, an Indonesian prince brought to South Africa by the Dutch in the 18th century. Fittingly, her work interrogates colonial histories and explores hybrid identities. Her dazzling embroideries, like this middle panel from her recent Drowned Bodies Never Die tryptic, fuse styles derived from history painting and textiles and provide both visual delight and subversive content through their rich symbolism.

Thania Petersen (b. 1980, Cape Town) is a South African multidisciplinary artist who uses photography, performance, and installation to address the intricacies and complexities of identity in contemporary South Africa. She is represented by Nicodim Gallery in NYC.