Performance artist

“Interdisciplinary experimentation using multiple artistic mediums” is one way of describing Kieron Jina’s innovative performance art. “A South African stance on Japanese butoh” is another. Some of his pieces, like Homodryer and Full Fat, Low Fat, Fat Free, have been dubbed “the tour de force” of festivals like the Dance Umbrella.

He calls it “grotesque horror reimagined”. But however you try to define his original, forceful, multilayered works — on screen or on stage — one word sums it up: brilliant. Jina uses performance art to tell personal stories that, underpinned by activism, explore societal themes and challenge stereotypes in an effort to captivate, activate and alter audiences’ minds. And they do.

With a master’s in dramatic arts from Wits University, 25-year-old Jina is a performance artist, dancer, choreographer, teacher, facilitator, director, cinematographer and video editor. A member of the artistic collaborative, Stash the Suitcase Collective, he is an artist who is constantly seeking new inspiration, experiences and collaborations — both locally and abroad.

— Lu Larche

Twitter: @KieronJina