Exploring the ubuntu spirit
BAMBO SIBIYA: NEW SOLO EXHIBITION AT ABSA ART GALLERY
T Young artist’s work explores single-parent households.
he Absa Art Gallery, together with the French cultural network of Alliance Française in South Africa, the French Institute of South Africa, the South African National Association for the Visual Arts and the Embassy of France in South Africa, is hosting an exhibition by Bambo Sibiya.
Sibiya is the winner of the 2012 Absa L’Atelier Gerard Sekoto Award and his latest poignant exhibition Umlambo Uzwiwa Nge Dondolo is currently on at the Absa Gallery.
Through this exhibition Sibiya explores various aspects of township life with particular emphasis on single-parent households.
Sibiya and his two siblings were raised outside Johannesburg by their mother. She strove to ensure they grew up in a loving and supportive home.
This unconditional love and support fostered in Sibiya respect and gratitude – not only for his own mother but all single moms.
It is this experience that informs the artist’s visual and conceptual compositions, conveying the message that despite the hardships facing families and their survival, women still manage to find ways to nurture and protect their children and keep their families safe.
He also explores other familiar scenes of township life, such as the migrant workers and Swenkas or working-class Zulu men who participated in amateur competitions that were part fashion show and part choreography and showcased their inherent style and attitude. Sibiya says these images reflect his environment – both growing up and as an adult – and bear testament to the true spirit of ubuntu, which he wishes all South Africans would celebrate.
Absa Art Curator, Dr Paul Bayliss, says, “This is such a positive and inspirational message; we are delighted to be able to provide Bambo with a platform through which to share it with his fellow South Africans. We at Absa along with our partners are really proud to see how Bambo – one of our L’Atelier Gerard Sekoto winners – has grown and developed as an artist. This wonderful exhibition is proof of that.” –