Activist artist boldly pushes boundaries
DURBAN artist Themba Shibase explores the interrelatedness of themes such as power, masculinity and violence in his solo exhibition, Push & Pull, which forms part of the KZNSA Gallery’s Social Art Programme.
Consisting of selected works from Shibase’s previous exhibitions and new works, the themes in the collection are approached from a satirical perspective using mainly the medium of paint.
Push & Pull centres on two main aspects. First, the physical process of painting itself, such as the layering and de-layering of paint on the surface. And second, the contradictory theoretical positions we hold in relation to the themes of masculinity and violence, but more specifically, power.
The interrogation of how power is perceived is critically explored through Shibase’s paintings in relation to the contexts of gender, sexuality and race politics.
Shibase’s work invites viewers to engage critically with what they see: “I don’t like dictating what my audience ought to take away from my work. That’s entirely up to them. But I do wish that they take time to pause and contemplate the various possible underlying meanings of the work. Hopefully, the work may shift their views on some of the topics covered out of their comfort zone. I really like art that does this.”
In terms of his creative process, the Durban University of Technology art lecturer is interested in the socio-political and sociocultural forces that operate around him which naturally have a huge impact on his life.
“As an artist, I am instinctively curious about how things around me look from the outside in relation to how they actually function. Art-making affords me an opportunity to pursue such questions. It’s this question that keeps me going, in whichever topic I engage creatively.”
As an activist, Shibase says his work delves into a lot of South African issues, which tends to make viewers question the premises upon which identity and politics are based.
“I will say, it’s kind of hard for a potential buyer to purchase my painting of an apartheid assassin and mass murderer like, say, Eugene de Kock, even if the painting was beautifully executed.
“To a potential buyer, the content of the painting may seem too dark a subject to want to associate with, let alone hang in your living room or in a public museum, irrespective of what my intentions for producing the painting were. A lot of people are still too sensitive around some of the issues I deal with in my work. This would be a nightmare if I made a living through only the sale of my art.
“Fortunately, I don’t. This means I can carry on doing what I want without much pressure to appease potential buyers. Not many artists have this privilege.”
The artist will also host a Saturday session on March 9 on “the Process of Painting”.
“This will involve a workshop on how to generate quick smaller reference images that then can become pursued as larger compositions. It’s a very reliable process of working small-scale with collage as a creative method for generating images,” he said.
The exhibition runs until March 10 at the KZNSA Gallery. The Saturday session on “the Process of Painting” is from 9am to noon. It costs R200 and includes materials and refreshments. Book: gallery@ kznsagallery.co.za