Addressing injustices through the art

GASEBALWE SERETSE
Staff Writer | Friday April 25, 2008 00:00

In an earlier interview with Mmegi, the artist had said, 'My work is inclined to socio-political and economic themes. As an artist, I feel it is my duty to communicate to the world about our environment in a holistic manner, transforming less appreciated material into a voice ' The painter who specializes in semi-abstract pieces did not disappoint as has given her pieces a 'voice' to 'protest' against the injustice that prevail in the world today. It can be safely said that one of the subjects of the pieces is the regime of President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. Mnkandla attacks the regime in a subtle way that perhaps for one to be able to interpret the pieces better, he or she must be familiar with her background. One of the 'vocal' pieces at the exhibition is acrylic on canvas 'Dreams Of Liberation'. It is safe to assume that like most Zimbabweans, Mkandla must be yearning for the day when true democracy will come to her home country, hence the title.

Talking about her other 'vocal' work Back2Back: Return To Conflict, the artist says, 'This is a depiction of a stalemate and the phrase back to back also has a double meaning that there has been no progress and the people have gone back to a state of 'backwardness'.
Does the piece talk about the economic situation in Zimbabwe, which has left many in financial dire straits? One may wonder.

As if to interpret Mugabe's controversial rule, the artist came up with the piece Ultimate Betrayal of which she says: 'There is consistent negativity that we hear and experience - it's a tragedy of life that it actually happens that the person that should be the protector, comforter or a guardian becomes the one that afflicts you.'

Interestingly, the mixed-media artwork, Merchant Of Chaos, showcases a newspaper clipping of Mugabe that spells out the atrocities his regime has allegedly committed in the country. Can one safely say that Mugabe himself is the artist's Merchant Of Chaos?

Other pieces that appear to address the Zimbabwean issue are 'Bewildered In Distress', 'Flee', 'A Deceitful Gathering', 'Sand Castles, Broken Dreams' and 'Shadows Of Inaction-Stealing Time'. Although the artist successfully paints a grim picture of Zimbabwe and the African continent as a whole, there are other pieces that depart from the norm such as 'Welcome Possibilities' and 'A Glimmer Of Hope'. The Way Of The Flesh seeks to address the issue of life and death as the artist herself poetically says, 'This is the depiction of our common inheritance, 'The Human Condition' and we move along within the fabric of life sometimes feeling alone, other times in community with a flame of hope with an underlying shadow of mistrust.' Inspired by the book of Numbers 11 verse 33, which, says, 'To ourselves we seemed like grasshoppers. And we must have seemed the same to them', Mnkandla produced the piece 'Overwhelmed-Grasshopper Feeling'. Of the acrylic on canvas piece, she philosophically says, 'As they say, its not what happens to us which affects us the most but our attitude and reaction.'

Mnkandla, who studied different disciplines of art at Mzilikazi Arts and Craft Centre before specialising in drawing, painting and illustrations, leads a nomadic lifestyle.

Having realized that the market in her home country 'is not conducive for most artists because of the economic situation', she, with the support of her family has been able to take residencies in different countries.

'My husband and I complement each other in that whenever one of us either takes up residency or gets a contract in any country, the other one will follow,' she says.

Her husband is an engineer and they have two children of school-going age. For the past one-and-a-half years, the family stayed in Lusaka, Zambia before moving to Gaborone where they will be based for some time. This time around, it was Mnkandla who followed her husband who is working in the country on contract basis.

According to the artist, once she knew that her husband would be moving to Botswana, she got in touch with Thapong to discuss the possibility of taking up residence there and the centre welcomed her with open hands. Originally, the plan was for the artist to complete 10 pieces for the solo exhibition that followed the residency but she has so far managed to mount more. The exhibition will most certainly catch the eye of lovers of semi-abstract works and those who sympathize with Mnkandla's cause of addressing controversial issues that some artists would rather avoid. The one outstanding disappointment with the exhibition is that the artist used cheap and drab-looking frames on the paintings and this might be a turn off for some potential buyers.

Citing what motivated her to mount the exhibition, the artist who is currently studying with UNISA for a degree in Visual Arts and Multimedia said, 'To sensually challenge our experience of the ordinary and the extraordinary by strokes of colour. Fine art gives a very subtle freedom, to express oneself, which maybe difficult to challenge but at the same time carry a purpose. I believe that we can all live beyond our present capacities, that we all have breakthroughs in life that we need to come against and that we need to consistently and persistently pursue our dreams.'The exhibition runs until May 3.