“The importance of collectivity solely exists on the support it gives artists of colour in an industry and country engineered to exclude us,” states Malebona Maphutse, a member of the art collective Title in Transgression. Malebona bonded with the other three members of the collective, Boitumelo Motau, Dineo Diphofa and Simnikiwe Buhlungu, in a History…
“I don’t have the privilege to take a break from being a womxn. By creating artwork that speaks to these issues I am able to heal and tackle them head on and in the process hopefully, challenge the oppressive system we all exist in.” – from an interview with Design Indaba. Thandiwe Msebenzi, a photographer…
Athi-Patra Ruga is an artist who hardly requires an introduction. Partaking in exhibitions and performances at the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris, The Film Will Always Be You: ‘South African Artists on Screen’ at the Tate Modern in London and the 55th Venice Biennale to name a few; the reasons behind him being considered a…
Łukasz Horbów is a 22 year-old performer and multidisciplinary artist from Poland. His works, which can be accessed through his tumblr blog, are an exploration of his own body. He begins with pictures of his own body, taking grainy, black and white photos into which he cuts and draws, also using the photographs as objects themselves…
Levitating canvases – layered with brush strokes. Interwoven narratives and dust-laden histories. Display cases bursting with aged newspaper clippings – offer captured moments of an otherwise forgotten history. Ancient objects adjacent contemporary works, working a magic between them. An enthralling juncture of myth and mystery. Spellbinders: Myths, Mysteries and Hidden Treasures opened on Sunday to…
With an interest in how geopoltical affairs and social systems affect the formation and interpretation of personal and collective identities, Nairobi-born artist Tahir Karmali uses collage, photography, and papermaking to unpack micro and macro level issues related to these themes. By making a connection between concepts and the materiality of his chosen mediums, he questions…
Jackie Karuti, known for her experimental and conceptual work, uses new media to explore themes related to knowledge, death, sexuality and migration. Her mediums include drawings, installations, video and performance pieces. Her drawings are reminiscent of whimsical storybook illustrations, with the backgrounds of her images having an eerie openness, evoking a similar feeling to a…
“The people come to understand that wealth is not the fruit of labour but the result of organised, protected robbery.” – Frantz Fanon The second iteration of the fair Also Known As Africa (AKAA) boasted 32 galleries from 18 countries. Hailed as the first contemporary art and design fair in France centred around Africa, it…
“bein alive & bein a woman & bein coloured is a metaphysical dilemma / i havent conquered yet” – ntozake shange It makes sense that a documentary about skin bleaching was made for black girls. Being a black girl, a dark skinned black girl, I know that I am a suitable member of the audience….
Alexis Peskine is an internationally renowned artist attracting a lot of attention for his incredible large-scale portraits of powerful black figures intricately rendered by hammering nails into wooden boards (what has now been coined as acupainture). Coming from a mixed heritage, he uses his art to make comments on identity and race within a global…
Leal is a young illustrator and street artist from Johannesburg currently residing in Cape Town. Their choice of subject matter varies to encompass topics including human trafficking, marginalised bodies, their girlfriend Boni, their experiences as a person who identifies as queer, as well as gentrification within Cape Town. Their otherworldly illustrations, and intimate depictions of…
Thenjiwe Niki Nkosi was born in New York City and finished her art studies abroad before settling in South Africa. Inhabiting the role of a multiform artist, she works predominantly in film, performance art, and painting. She has noted before that she regards her paintings as a footnote to her practice. Her architectural paintings present…
