Pamela Sunstrum and Thenjiwe Nkosi: Contrasts that complement

In a peculiar way artists Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum and Thenjiwe Niki Nkosi complement each other. Not only in their work, as can be seen in the first intallment of their "collaborative-solo" exhibition series, but in a more glaringly obvious way.

When we sit down to meet, I notice how they finish off each other's sentences and help each other order drinks, like old friends would. Despite Sunstrum's black clothes, piercing and tattoos, and Nkosi's pastel-coloured jersey and girlishly braided hair, it's hard to ignore the similarities between them. Both were born in 1980, come from racially mixed parentage, lived around the world and completed their art studies abroad before settling in South Africa.