Art Conversations with Ruby- artist Avvassena
- rubyrhizome
- Feb 24
- 6 min read
Updated: Feb 24
Self-mirroring through others: Avvassena and the act of going beyond oneself
R: How and when did you start creating art?
A: I feel like art has been part of me since birth because I honestly don’t remember a time when I started. As a child, I was always painting, drawing, and creating with different materials—it was my way of expressing myself. It wasn’t a conscious decision; it was just something natural to me.
R: Your project, Ubuntu, raises profound questions about interdependence and a holistic view of life. You mentioned that the word ‘Ubuntu’ comes from a vision rooted in various areas of sub-Saharan Africa. Can you share more about the meaning of this word and how it resonates with your personal vision?
A: Ubuntu is not just a word, it’s a way of seeing the world. It comes from sub-Saharan Africa, where it has deep roots in tribal communities, but its meaning goes far beyond that. It’s about understanding that we are all connected—not just as individuals, but also in relation to nature and everything around us. What fascinates me the most is how Ubuntu challenges the Western idea of individuality. In the West, we often think of identity as something fixed, something personal and separate from others. But Ubuntu sees identity as something fluid, something that exists through relationships. It’s not just about who I am, but about who I become in relation to others.
I think this way of thinking is really missing in contemporary society, especially in the Western world. We live in a time where people feel more isolated than ever, even though we are supposedly "connected" through technology. But true connection is something deeper, something that shapes our sense of self. That’s why Ubuntu resonates with me so much—it’s not just a philosophy, it’s a way of living, of creating, of being part of something greater.
R: Ubuntu has shaped most of your artistic practice over the past two years, defining much of your work. How did this project influence your artistic investigation and production? How many topics and artworks were born out of it, and what connects them all?
A: Ubuntu is the foundation of my artistic research—it’s how I explore and communicate these ideas through contemporary art. Because of its nature, I work in a very multidisciplinary way, experimenting with different media, collaborating with others, and letting the concept take shape through different techniques. Through Ubuntu, I’ve created sculptures, installations, immersive experience rooms, and mixed-media pieces. Some works are small and intimate, while others are large-scale—some installations are over 40 square meters, creating immersive environments. Despite their differences in form, they are all connected, like different branches of the same tree.
R: In ‘Identities’ and ‘Myselves. Portraits Collection’, you explore a fascinating duality. You mentioned that Identities is about the fingerprints of strangers, while ‘Myselves. Portraits Collection’ fragments your own identity into various portraits. These projects seem to question identity from two opposite perspectives—one looking outward at others, the other inward at yourself. Can you tell me more about both projects and how you approached them?
Identities is a series of laser-cut mirrors created from the digital synthesis of fingerprints taken from strangers. The idea was to create reflections that are constantly changing—just like how our sense of identity is shaped by those around us. I was also interested in the way we interact with strangers in daily life—people we pass by and never think about. In a way, this project was a personal challenge for me to break that distance. I approached strangers, asked for their fingerprints, and transformed them into abstract visual forms.
On the other hand, Myselves. Portraits Collection took the opposite approach—it wasn’t about others but about myself. I took my own fingerprint and fragmented it into 80 individual artworks. Each artwork contained a single line of my fingerprint, creating a deconstructed self-portrait. I used carborundum, a material that resembles stardust, to create these works. The idea behind it was that, just like stars, we are made of the same basic elements, but arranged in unique, unrepeatable ways.
Both projects explore identity, but from two different perspectives—one looking outward, one looking inward.
R: You have a very multimedia approach to art—paintings, sculptures, installations, immersive rooms, and a wide range of materials. Do you adapt the medium to the idea? In other words, do you first conceive the idea and then choose the medium that best brings it to life? Also, are you planning to explore any new mediums in the future?
Yes, the idea always comes first, and then I decide which medium can best express it. Some concepts work best as a painting, others as an installation, others as an immersive space. Recently, I’ve been exploring X-rays as a material. In my Ante Babele series, I used medical scans donated by strangers. What fascinates me about X-rays is that they reveal what is beneath the surface. They expose both sameness (we all have bones, a body, a structure) and difference (each X-ray belongs to a unique person, with their own medical history, their own life story).
R: In my GENESIS project, I used X-ray scans of my own body. You also used X-rays in Ante Babele. That’s how I actually first encountered your work. How did you decide to use something so intimate, and how does working with medical data align with your philosophy and research?
For me, X-rays are a material loaded with meaning. They come from an act of donation—people gave me scans of themselves, or of their loved ones. So from the start, these works carry a history, a presence, a connection to a real person. I see X-rays as a way of exploring identity beyond the visible. We often define identity based on external features, but X-rays force us to look deeper—to see what is underneath, what is common among us, and what makes us unique..
R: To me the question of identity emerges a bit when I observe your work. Is this question significant to you?
Yes, absolutely. Lately, I’ve been questioning whether identity even exists in the way we usually think about it. Maybe what we call "individual identity" is just a fragment of a much larger, universal identity.
R: Is the Ubuntu project over, or do you plan to continue working on it?
Right now, I don’t see it ending—it’s become part of my way of thinking and creating. But I do see it evolving.
R: Are there any new projects you’re working on that we can look forward to?
Yes, but no spoilers! I have new series in the works, but you’ll have to wait and see.
R: Where can we follow your work and stay updated on what you’re doing next?
You can follow me on
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/avvassena/ Website https://www.av-vassena.com/
About Avvassena
Avvassena (b. 1998) is a multidisciplinary artist and designer based in Milan, whose practice is driven by an innate curiosity and a deep attentiveness to her surroundings. Her work unfolds across multiple visual and communicative layers, reflecting an eclectic and ever-evolving creative process.
With a background in Interior Design from Politecnico di Milano and a Master’s degree in Communication Design, Avvassena has exhibited across various European cities and collaborated with international magazines, brands, and companies, aiming to make art an accessible and universal language.
Beyond her artistic research, she actively engages in projects addressing social issues such as breast cancer awareness, gender-based violence, and the use of firearms, often working in collaboration with researchers and non-profit organizations to create impactful installations and artworks that merge art with advocacy.
Comments