ARTIST STATEMENT
Abagadi bomzila
In this body of work, I question the human condition, focusing on how our upbringing shapes our future. We can never rewrite history, but it is upon us to decide how we use it to our benefit. My focus is on children and the youth, because I believe we are the ones who can bring about change in our homes, help our families escape poverty and other struggles they encounter, and ultimately make this world a better place.
The future is in our hands. In fact, the future has always been in the hands of the youth.
This series is titled “Umphetho wengubo yami”, which figuratively translates to “the fringe of my garment.” This body of work is inspired by African history—the past, the present, and the future that together shape who we are today. African history is represented using hessian jute sack, a material known to have existed in the olden days, when it was used to make clothing. Through monumental figures and the rough, textured background, I question the situation of Africans and how we often become prisoners of our own riches.
In this body of work, I use cow dung, acrylic paint, and charcoal on hessian jute sack. The rawness of these materials serves as a metaphor for struggle. They represent being born into darkness, feeling imprisoned by one’s circumstances, and yet still having to create light and optimism in life.
The application of cow dung as a medium reflects who I am and where I come from. My connection to it began when I was young, helping my grandmother carry cow dung from isibaya (the kraal) for plastering walls and floors. It is known both as a scent that attracts abaphansi (ancestors) and as a herbal medicine derived from different leaves and plants. In this sense, cow dung in my work represents our ancestors, mothers, and grandmothers in the village who worked hard, as well as farmers.
The pegs used to pin clothes serve another metaphor. Their purpose is to keep clothes intact, preventing the wind from blowing them away. Even when it rains, they continue to hold until the clothes eventually dry. In this work, they are a metaphor for hope. They symbolize that no matter how strong the winds of life may be, hope must never be lost, because every storm eventually passes. When it does, the clothes will dry, and just like a farmer, it will be time to harvest.
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Thamsanga Mfuphi is a self-taught artist, born in 1998 in the rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal, in Estcourt. He is currently based in Johannesburg, where he lives and works.
After the death of his mother in 2002, he and his siblings moved to Zimbabwe to live with his stepmother’s family. There, he learned life lessons the hard way. He became a victim of child abuse, was denied the chance to go to school like other children, went weeks without food, and was at times chased away from the place he considered home. His suffering extended further when his sister was raped by someone they considered an uncle. These were among the challenges he endured during the thirteen years he lived in Zimbabwe.
Amid these difficulties, his artistic gift was born. Art became a way to heal, to find peace, and to tell his story using the materials that surrounded him. He later matriculated in 2017 and pursued further studies at the University of Johannesburg in the School of Business and Economics, where he obtained a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Business Management in record time. His motivation for this qualification was to gain an understanding of the business industry and to gather knowledge that could help him turn his artistic talent into a successful career and business.
After completing his business degree, Mfuphi refined his artistic skills and techniques at Artist Proof Studio. His aim is to equip himself with the necessary competencies to contribute to the development of a professional printmaking culture within the visual arts, while producing artworks that align with his personal style and are underpinned by the applied knowledge he has gained through his studies.
