17 May 2007
Dungamanzi/Stirring Waters is an exhibition of Tsonga and Shangaan artwork produced and collected by the Makhubele family and on display at the Johannesburg Art Gallery (JAG) from Sunday, 13 May.
This groundbreaking show is the first exhibition to celebrate Tsonga and Shangaan art, according to Nessa Leibhammer, curator of Southern African Traditional Collection at JAG. It includes some of South Africa's finest heritage objects.
"[The Makhubeles] have used their traditional culture to create something innovative and vibrant with beads and minceka [textile wraps]."
It includes the work of artist Billy Makhubele and his family, and treasured pieces of colourful sangoma items which they have collected. "This exhibition and its accompanying catalogue creates a 'living' archive," asserts Leibhammer.
The pioneering exhibition highlights the richness of the Makhubele family's creativity and the extent of artistic skills from the Limpopo province and the surrounding areas.
It is exhibited at the gallery, says Leibhammer, "since the past outlined the voices of artists who created traditional artworks".
Leibhammer asserts that the exhibition offers a representation of the Makhubele family's "resilience and survival through the political turmoil of the late 19th century, and the difficulties of the apartheid era".
On display is beaded artwork "which forms a record of South Africa's history, and captures the joy of liberation after the suffering", Leibhammer says.
It also includes, headrests from the southern sub-continent, outfits of diviners from the Limpopo region, contemporary beadwork, snuff containers, and some traditional minceka that are still worn by Tsonga and Shangaan women to this day.
"Fashioned from beads, and sought by galleries and collectors for their political and social relevance as well as their fine artistic qualities, these have become pictures in their own right," Leibhammer says.
Accompanying the exhibition is a catalogue that has been divided into four sections. Its more than 220 pages illustrate the history of the Tsonga and Shangaan people, and the personal narrative of the Makhubele family.
The second section highlights the beading tradition and the third encompasses the legacy of woodcarving from the late 19th century to modern times.
The fourth and last section is formed by the historical trajectory, the attire and equipment of sangomas, or traditional healers.
The catalogue incorporates chapters by collectors, artists and academics, among them Anitra Nettleton, Billy Makhubele, Enos Sikhauli, Isak Niehaus, Jean-Marie Dederen, Karel Nel, Khwezi Gule, Natalie Knight, and curator Nessa Leibhammer.
The exhibition will continue for three months. Towards the end, it will include two workshops. The first one will focus on adult education and the needs of unemployed women; Helene Smuts, an arts education consultant, is to provide skills.
The second workshop will be on visual and cultural literacy skills, which will be integrated with visual arts and music.
The JAG is open to the public from Tuesdays to Sunday from 10am to 5pm. For exhibition enquiries call Nessa Leibhammer at JAG on 011 725 3130 or email Nessa
Source: City of Johannesburg
