RuAfza is a multidisciplinary artist and drag performer born in India and based in Lenapehoking/Brooklyn.

RuAfza (She/ Her)

Performer

Pleasure Dome

Image

Her work explores the figure of the showgirl as a site of spectacle, labor, and survival under capitalism, drawing on her trans, desi, and immigrant identity and her collaborative worldmaking in nightlife spaces. Working across live performance, photography, sound, and installation, she uses glamour, humor, and camp excess to examine how bodies are marketed, disciplined, and desired.

She is a graduate of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University, where she received two Bachelor’s degrees in New Media and Studio Art. Her work has been presented at La MaMa, The Flea Theater, and The New York Historical, and she was featured in PAPER’s NYC Theater Portfolio in 2024.