Rujunko Pugh (Syberweerd) was born in Japan to a Japanese-naturalized Korean mother and African-American father. Raised in California and North Carolina, Rujunko has lived around the world in places including Hawaii, Washington, D.C., Rome, Sydney, and Palma de Mallorca. She initially studied molecular bioscience and bioengineering. Now, she works across various media including digital art, printmaking, installation, street art and murals. Her art draws on Japanese, African, and African-American imagery to explore themes such as identity, history, culture and race as well as global movements of people, ideas and technologies. She has completed a Master of Fine Art from the University of Sydney, Sydney College of the Arts and exhibited in museums and galleries in Australia, the United States, Italy, New Zealand, Kenya, and Spain.
