Today we’d like to introduce you to Agatha Wright a.k.a. LADYFLUX.
Agatha was born in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil in 1981 and migrated to Miami in 1987. Her father, Edson Braganca cultivated a successful career in the music industry as a producer curating concerts and shows that brought pop artists, samba artists and jazz musicians from Brazil to Miami in the late 1990’s. Capoeira and Samba (often employed in her father’s productions) have continuously been illustrated in Agatha’s work– through an obvious physicality and athleticism, her dancers have described as rigorous and powerful. In retrospect, Agatha acknowledges that although the aesthetic of her dances today has conversely also been shaped by her training in modern dance, jazz, and ballet, they have inherited the spirit, bravado, and speed seen in the native Latino traditions (listed above).
Moreover, Agatha was heavily impassioned by the electronic dance movement Miami underwent in the 90’s. As a self-proclaimed 90’s club kid- Agatha lived through the decadent hay days of the South Beach club era and the rock and roll grunge scene. Herein began her love of all things counter-culture and underground. The early days of experimentation fueled a continuous interest in the novice, obscure and overlooked. As an artist, many of her musical choices have been roused by the heart thumping electronic and guitar rhythms she grew up listening to. Up to date Agatha has created neo-classical works juxtaposed by soundscapes often categorized as ominous, futuristic but immediately inviting and industrial. Bands and artists such as Glitch Mob, Nine Inch Nails, Die Antwoord, Bikini Kill, Marilyn Manson and the notable electronic renditions of Ludovico Eunaudi’s compositions have all been inclusive in her body of work.
In 2000, Agatha made an important decision to leave Miami and join the military. For three years Agatha served in the United States Army and traveled the world. In 2002, proceeding 9/11 Agatha was sent to South Korea to serve out the remainder of her time in service and was honorably discharged from the Army in the fall of 2003. In 2005 she relocated to Los Angeles where she would reside for the next nine years and form a new family, ripen her career as a performer; obtain her degree in Art History from the University of California and dance with some of the most reputable names in the Los Angeles commercial dance scene.
In 2013, Agatha relocated back to Miami with a clear focus to enrich her community through arts education and production. The last five years have been staunchly dedicated to harvesting an identity unique to Miami’s growing performing arts population. The body of work- including her latest creation Diaphanous, pays homage to our city’s insatiable desire for the sensual and beautiful; the ostentatious and brazen humor associated with a diverse culture and the quirkiness evident of Miami’s indulgent but dark nightlife.
Please tell us about your art.
LADYFLUX is an alter ego which emerged as a reaction to gender biases, under-representation and superimposed identities that have plagued and permeated the feminine repeatedly throughout history. The art produced under the alias is a propagation to support a shift towards change by eliciting and providing opportunities in our communities (through the art-making process) for other females to create, perform, vocalize and make sense of their own experiences and challenges. Her carefully crafted persona as a grunge, renegade artist is a genuine defense mechanism amassing countless accounts of systematic objectification, exploitation and staunch disparity often found amidst female performing artists or women at large.
As a choreographer, LADYFLUX aims to re-define the inherited disparities too often seen in the controversial profiteering of females on social media, television and the entertainment industry. She promotes self-liberation, education, activism, and gender equality. Additionally, the persona draws inspiration from themes which address myths, customs, morays, and common dispositions women willingly also accept in society (before the character was created Agatha Wright was a suburban housewife who had been married for 12 years). Applicably, these themes are addressed in her art by employing the use of satire, rebellion, conceptualism, and socio-political tones. Examining the work of Lucy Lippard, Barbara Kruger, Cindy Sherman, and Jenny Holzer, LADYFLUX aligns her manifesto in the likes of other feminist and Fluxus artists who have liberated themselves from the grips of the suburban nightmare.
LADYFLUX uses her platform by offering mentorship, education, and engagement for overlooked stakeholders aligning with the FLUXUS brand identity and organizational culture. Employing pregnant women, members of the LGBT community, youth suffering from anxiety & emotional, behavioral disorders; ballerinas fighting body dysmorphia and economically and geographically underserved female artists, Fluxus has differentiated itself by focusing on projects which provides an opportunity for the unique, often overlooked voice. Equally notable, and critical to the Fluxus manifesto, is the inclination to enforce the value in “process” based art which topples the barriers between art and real life. Fluxus artists truly believe art can and should be made all the time- and that the balance of power in the art world deserves to be shifted and shaped through diversity.
To quote the writings of Bertolt Brecht- “The theater-goer in conventional dramatic theater says: Yes, I’ve felt that way, too. That’s the way I am. That’s life. That’s the way it will always be. The suffering of this or that person grips me because there is no escape for him. That’s great art — Everything is self-evident. I am made to cry with those who cry and laugh with those who laugh. But the theater-goer in the epic theater says: I would never have thought that. You can’t do that. That’s very strange, practically unbelievable. That has to stop. The suffering of this or that person grips me because there is an escape for him. That’s great art — nothing is self-evident. I am made to laugh about those who cry, and cry about those who laugh.”
As an artist, how do you define success and what quality or characteristic do you feel is essential to success as an artist?
Don’t focus too much on what your competitors say or think of your work. Instead, take that energy and focus it towards the work. Artists can be immensely sensitive people- often vulnerable to the criticism of their peers or those who are in direct proximity to them. Surround yourself with positivity. Learn from people who are successful at what they do. Study your craft. Learn every aspect related to it. It can only enhance your talents and abilities. Being a well-rounded artist can lead to opportunities otherwise overlooked.
I am a choreographer, but I have trained in many other art forms. This has given me the ability to work with painters, photographers, videographers, musicians and incredible designers. It’s all interrelated. To me success means surviving solely off of what you love, working with other artists and professionals who you admire and seeing tangible results from your efforts.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
Anyone can connect with Fluxus via our website and subscribe at: www.fluxushaus.org or IG: @ladyflux or
FB: https://www.facebook.com/fluxushaus18/.
Fluxus is having an exhibit on October 26th titled: Manufactured Reality. Tickets are available through Eventbrite at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/manufactured-reality-tickets-49783490761. Agatha Wright is showing at excerpt of Diaphanous at Nova Southeastern University on Nov 2nd and 3rd. Tickets can be purchased at: https://cahss.nova.edu/departments/pva/perf-exhib.html.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.fluxushaus.org
- Phone: 5623034929
- Email: agatha@fluxushaus.org
- Instagram: @ladyflux
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fluxushaus18/
- Other: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/manufactured-reality-tickets-49783490761
Image Credit:
Dance Photography by Maks Dikarev, Images by Barbara Kruger and Jenny Holzer used for the dada collage boards
Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
