Archive: Issue No. 75, November 2003

Durant Sihlali and Frank Ledimo need no introduction; Sihlali has been around exhibiting his work for over fifty years. For this exhibition, he has teamed up with Frank Ledimo, a rising star in the South African art-making landscape.

Sihlali's work is constructed from handmade paper produced by Durant and his daughter Iris, who leads a production team at Durant's new Umhlanga Paper Studios, located in Braamfontein. The technique is called pulp painting, and is described as follows. After preparing pulp, the artist mixes different colours that he pours over the pulp before the paper is pressed and dried. The result is paper with a rough-edged and impressive texture.

For this show Sihlali revisits a sacred theme, amasiko. Amasiko is an Nguni word that refers to rituals that are done from birth till death. These refer amongst others to: rites of passage (ukhweluka), a twenty-first birthday celebration (ukwemula), and the burying of the umbilical cord (ukugqib'inkaba).

These rituals are dying a slow dearth and Sihlali feels they should be revived, as they are the cornerstone of African belief and carry indigenous knowledge. These indigenous knowledge systems have been undermined by Western educational and cultural systems, a big mistake in Sihlali's view.

In spite of having lived all his life in Soweto, Sihlali has always observed and continues to observe all the teachings that he was brought up with. He has made sure his children do the same. In many respects, Sihlali's work calls into question the importance of sacred rituals in modern Africa.

'Umhlangano', as the show is titled takes its cue from the Nguni word for meeting (or coming together). Meetings are usually convened, either to discuss problems, or to share ideas for a strategy that will result in addressing or solving whatever challenges there are. In the negative, meetings are also called to subvert a dissenting voice among the rank and file. Here, the coming together is about the two diverse natures of human apocalypse.

Ledimo exhibits lithographs and paintings on tarpaper. His exploration of alternative materials reveals exciting, vigorous lines that express the artist's energies. The emphasis on both line and colour is reminiscent of Robert Hodgins style. In his characteristically satirical manner, Ledimo questions the moral degeneration of our cities, where vice is the order of the day. He points to the exploitation of women by men, the poor by a powerful elite. His manner is similar to that of George Grozs.

Ledimo's latest works are characterised by bright colours and strong expressive lines that are typical of his previous lithographs. The works exude energy and some anger at the slow pace of change in the country, as the abuses continue unabated. While viewing these images, a question came to mind: Where is ubuntu?

After the watershed of 1994, there were high expectations of redress when a black government was installed. Ten years on, things have gone from bad to worse. Who is the saviour of the voiceless, the poor and abused people? When is it going to end? These are questions that came to mind as I navigated Ledimo's body of work, one in which the human body is used as a metaphor for conflict.

Both Sihlali and Ledimo initially conceived this show as collaboration. Collaborations are about integrating, merging, synthesising with the aim of sharing expertise and experiences in order to enrich the process of art making. Time constraints, however, dealt the concept a heavy blow and 'Umhlangano' largely evidences two artist's showcasing works of differing style and genre.

Sihlali's long-established role as sympathetic mentor does however come through in this show. Instead of competition, the two artists tend to complement each other. This, I hope, suggests a way forward, as well as a lays out a challenge to other senior artists, to share with younger, disadvantaged artists. Educational opportunities, especially for African artists, have been historically non-existent in many cases. Mentorship offers a way of passing on hard-earned skills and knowledge to a younger generation.

Post Script: The Art on Paper gallery in Melville was too small to accommodate the totality of Sihlali's recent work. A compromise was reached, with some works on display at Sihlali's Umhlanga Paper Studios, in Braamfontein, Johannesburg.

November 8 - 29