Love looks impossible today
Artist and gallerist Banele Khoza’s new solo show runs at Bkhz’s new location at the Trumpet in Rosebank, Johannesburg . He spoke to Kwanele Sosibo about love looks impossible today, but tomorrow is another day, which we featured on our cover last week Our layout artist, Mtungwa Mahlangu, was particularly drawn to that image, among all the options we were looking at, which influenced our decision to make that the cover. The work has an interesting title, too. How did it fit in with the 27 theme and what inspired it?
The inspiration for the work came during level-five lockdown. First of all, in the past few years, I have been so preoccupied by work versus making time for relations, but actually, deep down, that has been the aspiration. For instance, I always thought I’d get married by 27 and we get to lockdown and I have no one. That’s also what the mind started thinking: there is completely no one around, and you don’t know how you’re gonna proceed with the idea of creating, (dating?) and also love. Isolation made it feel like I’m completely alone in the world. Dating was hard already before having to wear masks and now also not being able to frequent the social circle … It just felt like life was impossible in that moment, but also later learning that everything changes.
I see how the features are distorted. For you, how does the form of the piece relate to the subject matter you are addressing?
The piece is actually a self-portrait. I think, for me, the common thing is a sense of self-rejection. When you selfreject you are not seeing yourself for who you truly are. You over-project what others think of you, and that’s an obscurity of the self. So, I often think, in spaces where I do like someone, I immediately self-reject, but maybe they don’t feel the same; maybe they don’t see me the same way I see them and it’s been common.
Who is your inspiration in terms of your figuration style?
When I was done with it, the work reminded me of Irma Stern’s composition style. I don’t know if it was influenced by me going to the Irma Stern Museum. I was just struck by how she stuck through portraiture of different sizes. For instance, this work is an A3 piece. It has a huge impact in that small scale versus thinking you should make something bigger to make a statement. Over the years I’ve looked into Penny Siopis, Marlene Dumas and Moshekwa Langa. I enjoy how they represent portraiture.
Banele Khoza’s latest exhibition, 27, runs at Bkhz Gallery at the Trumpet in Rosebank until 10 April