If we are being completely honest – in mainstream popular music right now – Amapiano artists seem to be some of the musicians who take very seriously the meaning of the words “world tour”. “Pitori to the World” or “Amapiano to the World” are not mere catchphrases of global superstardom ambition or marketing gimmicks. They…
I recently had a chat with Khanya Mashabela, curator at the Norval Foundation, about a group show she curated; Mixed Company (on view until 31st May 2021). My initial reaction to the exhibition was a discomfort with the title. The term “mixed” brings with it a number of complicated associations—thinking about ‘mixed’ as constructed through…
I first came across Thenjiwe Nkosi’s work through the collaborative project; The Reading Room staged at the Goethe Institut in Johannesburg about two years ago. It would be another year until I engaged with her practice through a series of talks under the project; That’s what she said, which sought to bring together womxn artists…
Much like gold itself, the spectacle of Goldendean challenges the arbitrary values we place on the normative body. Our gaze cannot help but devour Goldendean. In 2016 artist Dean Hutton’s #FUCKWHITEPEOPLE performance went notoriously viral which has extended itself into various forms– an installation, a ‘Fuck White People’ suit, an online archive titled, ‘White People…
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…
Artist Roberta Rich has been in residence at Assemblage Studios since February 2016. Her time at Assemblage now culminates with an exhibition of new works and an artist discussion between herself and artist Thenjiwe Niki Nkosi. Roberta Rich was born in Geelong, Australia 1988. Her work examines notions of authenticity with regards to concepts of…
