The beauty, strength, and toughness of African women are explored in ceramicist Zizipho Poswa‘s solo show uBuhle boKhokho (The Beauty of our Ancestors), currently on exhibition at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town.
Her earlier Magodi series, included the ceramic sculpture “Zenande,” which was influenced by traditional African hairstyles. The Magodi series is expanded upon in uBuhle boKhokho, which also examines the artist’s personal identity as a Xhosa woman and investigates the connection between blackness and hair.
The elaborate hairdressing methods employed by black women across the African continent and its diaspora serve as the inspiration for Poswa’s most recent collection of ceramic and bronze sculptures. In an effort to reflect on her creative process, Poswa created, photographed, and wore twelve different hairstyles over the period of five months.
In a series of twenty sculptures, measuring up to two metres high, Poswa made references to, the intricate crested arrangements worn by Fulani women from West Africa and the fan-shaped headpieces of the Zande of Central Africa. She skilfully reflects historical and contemporary hairstyles worn by women throughout Africa.
