Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Our Mandela as we know him, in stone
‘Madiba – A provocation to reconciliation’
IT ALWAYS frustrates Pikita Ntuli that every single sculpture of former president Nelson Mandela is made from bronze.
Five years ago, the renowned sculptor, poet and former freedom fighter decided this “travesty” should be corrected.
“Why bronze? Bronze is not something our people were given the opportunity to work with. It’s associated with an unattainable thing. We are people of the earth, from the land. This is how we should be portraying ourselves.
This is how I decided to portray Mandela.
As Madiba laboured on Robben Island breaking stone, his new monument marking his centenary year has been carved from Belfast Black Granite “also linking Madiba to the land”.
Weighing about 18 tons and standing at about 4.3m high, Madiba – A Provocation to Reconciliation is a well-researched and executed sculpture redolent with symbolism.
Although only a handful of people have actually seen the artwork, Ntuli says Madiba’s face has four moods depending upon the angle that the viewer looks. These span worry, realisation, contemplation, and resolution “as seen in the joy of a broad smile”.
“These moods also symbolise the stages of ill-health and recovery. Around the world the multitude of statues of Madiba usually depict him as an isolated individual, a role he always strenuously rejected. He was never alone.
“He was a man and leader whose love for people and zest for life shone through everything he did.
“This love was demonstrated most powerfully by two character traits – his commitment to the reconciliation of a people divided by race and years of unequal rights, and his delight in children.
“Madiba’s tangible and intangible legacy is gargantuan. His humanity, leadership and accomplishments are admired and feted around the world.
Ntuli says these are the traits he hopes viewers will see clearly when the sculpture is unveiled at the Melrose Gallery on July 11.
Ntuli, an acclaimed artist and renowned poet, says this sculpture evolved and was modified dozens of times because he wants ordinary South Africans involved in how the artwork eventually turned out.
“We asked people from all over to give us their impressions on Madiba.
“What do they think of when they think of this great man? I am no longer lecturing people when they come to my studio, the people are lecturing me. The people I work with say to me, ‘the age of experts is finished, the age of communities is now’. It is no longer the age of leadership, it is now the age of followership. The young people are guiding me towards this mindset. It’s so humbling.”
For Ntuli, sculpting and art is a way to express himself when poetry is not enough.
“You can’t censor sculptures as easy as you can censor words. And this one was born from a conversation I had with Madiba. He asked me how I would celebrate reconciliation through my art.
“I promised to sculpt a monument dedicated to him so that he could rest in peace.
“One day my sons said to me, ‘you lied to Madiba’.
“They said ‘you can’t have a monument for a process like reconciliation’.
“This is where we decided that it was not a monument.
“It was a provocation, provoking us into the idea of reconciliation. This sculpture is one of 23 life-sized pieces I am currently working on, each one telling a particular aspect of our struggle over the past 23 years.
“And this is so that uneducated people can learn their history from the stones.”
Ntuli is now working on a piece of Winnie Mandela.
“It will be marble with pink touches, which show her blood.
“I have no idea when it will be finished, but I hope to get as many people involved when we host an open day so that they can share their memories of Winnie.
“She must be captured in a way that speaks to people.”
This is what he tried to do with the Mandela sculpture, enlisting the help of seven other people, one of them was Jonathan, his family’s former gardener.
“I always found him to be quite intelligent, always asking questions.
“I brought him into the studio and taught him about art.
“The other people I brought in were also doing menial jobs, some were car cleaners and others were volunteering. Today they are artists.
“They can work with any material. But I am the one who gained the most.
“I learnt so much about art and myself from them.”
The sculpture of Mandela will be an ode to the man himself, he says.
*The Unveiling of Professor Pitika Ntuli’s monument to Nelson Mandela will be at the Melrose Square in Melrose Arch on July 11 and will move to The Melrose Gallery for the Mandela 100 Exhibition.