Spirit and physical reflections
Messages from the
Soul is an exhibition currently at the KZNSA Gallery in Glenwood. It is a collective of 14 young KwaZulu-Natal artists from the Amasosha Art Movement.
All under the age of 30 and working in and around Durban, only two of these emerging artists have had formal training. The rest are self-taught.
KZNSA Gallery Administrator Sumayya Rawat said the theme of the exhibition “explores our spiritual thoughts in the context of the physical world that judges us,” and that “our spiritual thoughts shape the ideas we have about life.”
The artists had to question whether physical and social experiences imposed on spirituality, while at the same time consider if society was a reflection of all of us.
The exhibition showcases a wide range of technical skills with drawings, paintings, sculptures, collages and mixed media pieces on view.
“Each artist seeks to invite viewers to examine and question the world around them, in the context of our young democracy and the available (or not available) opportunities to our born-free youth,” said Rawat.
Art works range from Mondli Mbhele’s three piece newspaper collage which questions transformation for domestic workers after 22 years of freedom, to Khulekani Mkhize’s The Brain, which looks at the choices people have in the spaces they occupy.
Other artists include Sihle Mthimkhuli who compares African lifestyle to other lifestyles, in order to discover similarities in symbols and signs; Thalente Khomo who is interested in unpacking memories from young adulthood carried as baggage into the future; and Nhlakanipho Ndimande whose work is inspired by black consciousness philosophies.
Rawat added that the works “are rich in social and political commentary and invite discourse around various issues prevalent today.”
Messages from the Soul is a KZNSA Social Art Programme funded by the National Lotteries Commission and will run until September 25.