Massa Lemu

Massa Lemu is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sculpture + Extended Media at Virginia Commonwealth University. A Malawian visual artist and writer, his interdisciplinary work explores contradictions of migration, psychological impacts of immaterial capitalism, and social/economic/spiritual dimensions of objects through text, performance, and multimedia installations.

• Ph.D. in Visual Arts, University of Stellenbosch (Cape Town, South Africa)
• MA in Painting, Savannah College of Art and Design
• Bachelor of Education in Fine Art, Chancellor College, University of Malawi (Zomba, Malawi)

His scholarly focus examines 'biopolitical collectivism' in contemporary African art, emphasizing subject-centered, collectivist practices rooted in everyday life. His writing has been published by The Burlington Contemporary, Wits University Press, Third Text, Stedelijk Studies Journal, and Contemporaryand.

Lemu's artistic practice intervenes in objects to critique their social/spiritual contexts, often blending aesthetics of politics with the politics of aesthetics. His affiliations and research bridge post-colonial theory, visual arts, and critical studies of capitalism.