Luca Alejandrina Castro Figari

Luca Alejandrina Castro Figari (they/he) is a Peruvian performance and cultural theorist, organizer, performer, and multimedia artist operating at the dynamic intersection of art, activism, and academia.

As a scholar, Luca holds an M.A. in Performance Studies from NYU and was personally chosen by novelist Zadie Smith for her competitive master class. Their research focuses on challenging power, including ongoing projects on the queer cyberbody (Rehearsing You Online) and the political implications of art during periods of terror (On Terrorist And Dancers). Their scholarly criticism has been published in NO CINEMA, and their work has been recognized in The New York Times.

As an activist and organizer, Luca’s impact is global. They were a lead artist in the 2020 General Lee Protest Installation, hailed by The New York Times as "the most influential U.S. protest art of the century." They co-founded Bash Bands, a minoritarian-focused music collective that organizes tours, concerts with sold-out shows in Toronto, and fundraising for causes like Aid for Gaza and healthcare rights.

As a multimedia artist, Luca is an accomplished musician (recording their debut album, Nurtured and Sacrified), actress, photographer, and model. Their political-fantasy project, Alia Arcangel, engages a monthly online audience of up to 200,000 users. A former Peruvian National Champion in Tae-Kwon-Do, Luca brings an embodied understanding of discipline and power to their artistic practice.