Marlon Riggs

Why this artist matters now

Marlon Riggs was an American documentary filmmaker and video artist who created work centered on Black identity, sexuality, and cultural memory. Working primarily in film and video from the 1980s until his death in 1994, Riggs combined personal testimony, archival footage, and poetic montage to construct narratives that resisted dominant media representation. His practice interrogated the intersection of race and queerness at a moment when such work remained rare in mainstream cinema. Riggs's films were exhibited internationally and remain foundational texts in Black independent cinema.

Source: Moma Bulk 2026 05 04 · Trust score: 92% · Updated 1mo ago