The relationship between art and pop culture is mutually beneficial. The two exist parallel to each other, constantly in dialogue. This relationship itself has influenced many artists and their practices, resulting in some of the most visually striking work ever seen. Works such as those by rug artist Henry Hamilton exist at the intersection of…
For decades, artists have been welcoming us into alternate worlds that they have created. Worlds that allow them to have a moment of reflection upon their life experiences, how they view themselves and the kind of worlds they are trying to forge through the beauty of self-portraits. I’m talking about worlds created by the likes…
…drape a white cloth around your waist and remember to cover your shoulder and head Prepare a glass of water and intsu Kneel on the straw mat Light a white candle and burn iMphepho Ngwana Badimo, speak… Words by a ‘voice’ that announces itself and speaks through Lerato Lodi’s Kopano; “a rush of spontaneous watercolour…
Contemporary African fashion is often a dialogue between the so-called modern and traditional. Under this postcolonial umbrella, contemporary Africans have to walk a thin line between the Western and globalised while trying to hold onto a distant history and disappearing tradition. Tinyiko Makwakwa’s work is interesting in this regard as she looks past this dialogue…
After spending some time reading about African mythologies and our take on spirituality, this body of work was created as a celebration of the coming of a new spirit/guardian angel/ancestor, as well as emphasising to people that we are god-like beings and that God can manifest in human form. The sense of community that can…
Through the collaborative residency project, Luso-Linkup, initiated by the Bag Factory to connect South Africa, Mozambique and Angola, editors Luamba Muinga and Sara Carneiro bring us the digital project; Are we not makers of history? Rendered in book format, the project brings together a group of artists, writers and makers to explore historical legacies of…
The following journeys present windows into the soul of the world as we experience, perceive, as we are, as we en(in)vision. In comparison to the growth of the tarot in its re-emergence in social media, popular culture and fashion as a site for inspiration and embedded stereotypes around the idea of the tarot, these artists…
* This body of work was created at the Bubblegum Studio with Q — bbythem — as the recipient of our Bubblegum Invites open call. In May 2021, Q, better known by their social media profile bbythem, won the third Bubblegum Invites (Bubblegum Invites: Makeup Artists) — an open call to makeup artists as part of…
When I first came across the works of New York-based maker of things Gustavo Barroso on Instagram, I was mesmerised by these pieces of furniture which seemed so abstracted from the typical silhouette of a household chair. In their mould, there seemed to be something surreal about the idea of these melting/bubbling pink coffee tables. Through the…
Founded in 2018 in an Honours in Curatorship course, Re-curators Curatorial Collective comprised of Amogelang Maledu, Luvuyo Equiano Nyawose and Thembakazi Matroshe, “is interested in developing and cultivating research and artistic methodologies around Black cultural production in Africa and its diaspora.” On July 31, the collective which is moved by an inter-disciplinarily methodology oscillating within…
Tbose Moroka wakes up to a pounding headache, remnants of nausea in his throat, a steady pain behind the top of his ears and limbs that ache from the previous day’s twelve-hour drive from Cape Town to Makhanda. Who could have imagined that the National Arts Festival (NAF) would be such an extreme sport in…
I am the people from whom the loss of the earth is the loss of everything Poem/ xam, san As people, we have suffered great loss; loss of language and culture and land. Loss of loved ones and things and memory. To borrow from 2017 Standard Bank Young Artist (SBYA) honouree, Monageng “Vice” Motshabi, we…
