The annual major show for the year is presented with a twist by the Durban Art Gallery. At the conclusion of the year, the gallery would often invite one established artist to exhibit. Amasosha, a talented group of young artists from Kwa-Zulu Natal who have established themselves as a collective, is being highlighted this year. The group’s vociferous opposition to the contemporary art world’s erasure of voices from people of color and from rural areas gave rise to the idea for this exhibition, which also serves to preserve the accounts of people of color by artists who live those lives. This exhibition documents how people of color see themselves in modern society and records their experiences, which are often forgotten by the general public.
The exhibition, titled Inkaba, which means umbilical cord or navel in English, is organized by Mthobisi Maphumulo. As a remnant of the umbilical cord that ties a newborn to its mother before birth, the exhibition in this case is called Inkaba. During pregnancy, the infant receives oxygen and nutrients from the umbilical cord. The navel is cut at birth and removed, leaving a scar. The umbilical cord has a deeper significance in Zulu tradition. It is valued as a vein providing continuity between the current and future generations of the family. Literally, when a child is born, the umbilical cord is cut and buried in the cattle kraal to connect the newborn with the source of life of the family, as cattle generally are in African custom.
Inkaba is also used to describe a marker of origin in Zulu culture. The artwork in the Inkaba show is a reflection of the socioeconomic journey that people of color have taken to understand their lives today. Anelisiwe Maphumulo, Andile Maphumulo, Mthobisi Maphumulo, Lindani Maduna, Thembi Mthembu, Thalente Khomo, Lindelwa Msimang, Bongani Luthuli, Nhlanhla Chonco, Sihle Mthethwa, Mzamo Mlambo, and Nhlakanipho Peace Ndimande are among the participating artists in the show who The exhibition’s curator, Maphumulo, says the pieces help viewers understand the perseverance it has taken for people of color to push the bounds of intellectual discourse in a forced, constantly-evolving context.
“Some of the works challenge, inspire, celebrate, question and investigate the experiences of people of colour in contemporary spaces.” He says.
All of these factors put pressure on artists to examine the scars of the past and the leftovers that people of color will continue to bear into the future. Inkaba then turns into an effort to uncover the history of African communities while crafting a new story with fresh perspectives on modern culture.
Maphumulo also explains how the Amasosha movement came about, a group that he founded in 2015 and does contemporary art with various techniques of art. “.The Word ‘amasosha’ is an isiZulu loan-word derived from the English word for ‘soldiers’. Quite clearly, the idea was to evoke qualities found in soldiers such as self-reliance, hard work, bravery, unity, and front-line combat, amongst others— in a way, evoking some sense of being on a mission. It is on these values that Amasosha Art Movement was founded.”
“This movement is emerging as a critical vehicle in the exploration, interrogation, and collaboration of ideas. All this is possible because of the multi-disciplinary composition of the collective.” He concluded.”
