BoMgwalo
by Thobile Mavuso, in partial fulfilment of a Masters of Arts in Fine Arts
Opening 20 March at 17h30
Exhibitions runs until 10 April - see poster for viewing times
Contact: pamelamavuso106@gmail.com
BoMgwalo, derived from isiNdebele, means “those of Umgwalo.” This phrase signifies that the relationship between Umgwalo and Abagwali operates beyond just making. It asserts that Umgwalo is intrinsic to the very being of its makers–Abagwali. The artists and the art form are inseparable; Ukugwala is not only an act of making but a profound assertion of identity and existence. This body of work is an ancestral honouring of the encoded and preserved practice across generations—as a cultural and spiritual artistic tradition, and a knowledge system. At the same time, BoMgwalo critically engages with the decline of this practice and its positioning within the broader contemporary art world. It challenges prevailing narratives that dismiss or marginalize indigenous artistic traditions, insisting on Umgwalo's rightful place within contemporary discourse.
BoMgwalo Exhibition Walkabout with Thobile Mavuso and Sharlene Khan
Saturday 29 March at 12:30pm
The Point of Order
BoMgwalo, derived from isiNdebele, means “those of Umgwalo.” This phrase signifies that the relationship between Umgwalo andAbagwali operates beyond just making. It asserts that Umgwalo is intrinsic to the very being of its makers–Abagwali. The artists and the art form are inseparable; Ukugwala is not only an act of making but a profound assertion of identity and existence. This body of work is an ancestral honouring of the encoded and preserved practice across generations—as a cultural and spiritual artistic tradition, and a knowledge system. At the same time, BoMgwalo critically engages with the decline of this practice and its positioning within the broader contemporary art world. It challenges prevailing narratives that dismiss or marginalize indigenous artistic traditions, insisting on Umgwalo's rightful place within contemporary discourse.
Sharlene Khan is a South African visual artist and creative scholar whose work interrogates South African society. She has exhibited and published locally and internationally and has been a recipient of the Rockefeller Bellagio Arts residency, the African Humanities Post-doctoral Fellowship, the National Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences Award for Visual Arts, and was runner-up winner in the Videokunst Preis Bremen video art award. She is co-convenor of the African Feminisms (Afems) Conference and runs the Art on our Mind Research. She holds a PhD (Arts) from Goldsmiths and is Associate Professor at the Department of Fine Arts, Wits University.
Thobile Pamela ‘Sana King’ Mavuso is an award-winning poet and multidisciplinary visual artist based in Johannesburg, South Africa, working with painting, sculpture, printmaking, and photography. She holds a BA Fine Arts degree from Wits University where she is currently completing her Masters in Fine Arts. Her artistic style and narrative, inspired by her Ndebele heritage and matriarchal upbringing, focus on accentuating women’s stories & labor, and illuminating their cultural contributions while addressing historical erasure.
BoMgwalo (MAFA Exhibition) 20 March - 10 April 2025 @The Point of Order
Contact: pamelamavuso106@gmail.com