Teamwork: Printmaker Sibongiseni Khulu watches Mbali Tshabalala do registration on a
print.
Since her recent exhibition The Ever Present Shift with Gallery 2 at the Turbine Art Fair, Mbali Tshabalala has been shortlisted for prestigious art awards, such as the Sasol New Signatures and the Anna Award with Latitudes. Her work also forms part of the Spier Art Trust and the Merchant Bank collections, among others.
A member of the David Krut team in Maboneng, in Joburg city centre, Tshabalala deals with recurring themes: an existential dialogue and an inquiry into external influences that inform her existence as a young South African woman of Xhosa and Swazi descent.
Collaboration, and an almost alchemical rapport with a printmaker, are at the heart of Tshabalala’s process. Printmaker Sibongiseni Khulu joins the conversation. Khulu joined David Krut as an intern for two years in 2015 before becoming part of the team.
“With printmaking, there is always an overpass of energy and a sharing of ideas,” Tshabalala says. “Our job as printmakers is ultimately to make sure that the artist’s vision is fulfilled,” Khulu says. “Printmakers have been in the footnote of history but in the end what matters is that the art survives and the artist is happy.”
Krut spotted Tshabalala at the 2021 Turbine Art Fair, where she was exhibiting with Collective Untitld, and invited her to join the team.
Tshabalala came across printmaking when she was working as a darkroom photographer.
“When figuring out how to print the images, I came across alternative processes and discovered mediums like paper lithography, which borders photography and printmaking.”
Most of Tshabalala’s work starts off with a photoshoot: “I either use a timer or commission a photographer to take a series of pictures of myself in different regalia,” she says.
Mbali’s works begin with photographs of herself in different garb. In her latest print, ‘See Through’ she wears a blanket, exploring the roles black women play in society, particularly in terms of expectations.
Asked whether she sees herself as her own muse, she says: “Not necessarily — it is more about the image of a black woman and referencing culture and a time, but I can only speak about my own experience; I can’t borrow somebody else’s experience.”
In her current body of work, Tshabalala is wearing a traditional blanket, which speaks to the rite of passage — when a woman gets married and becomes a “makoti” she no longer belongs to herself; she is her husband’s property and she belongs to his family.
“I wanted to use the blanket as a provocation and an interrogation of the roles black women carry within society, particularly in terms of expectations.
“Women are the matriarchs, the nurturers, the mothers, and play a multitude of other roles, but they must also be quiet, they must not contribute actively, they must be submissive,” says Tshabalala.
Describing herself as a “global individual” who is well-travelled, educated and influenced by the cultures and languages of other countries and the books she has read,
Tshabalala expresses the existential tension she lives with.
The lino cuts in her work represent community, chaos, global influences and voices from a very abstract perspective, she explains. “But I also wanted it to speak to femininity.
“I am very much attracted to the feminine and I see there is power in it, in the same way I see that there are aspects of my culture that are honourable,” says Tshabalala.
The artist does not see herself as a feminist in rigidly defined terms.
“It’s too simplistic,” she asserts. “I am very objective. I understand what my role is and I understand my aspirations, but I am also always trying to juggle and to find spaces in between. I would love to see a time when my culture has evolved.”
Speaking of Tshabalala’s current body of work, Khulu says: “Within this edition, we started off making tests; different versions of the same image. Later, we discovered that it could exist as a varied edition, where it is intact within its wholeness but within this edition we have five images. They don’t have to look exactly the same.”
“And they shouldn’t,” Tshabalala says. “The intention is they should have a common essence but stand on their own as individual works.”
The series is titled The Presence of Self at the Table of Us.
“I’m talking about myself within the whole. There is a very straightforward-looking figure, myself in this case, wearing the traditional blanket. The figure is regal and in a sense very proud. She is not ashamed and is looking out. But she is also surrounded by a lot of noise in the background, which sometimes infringes on the figure.
“The idea is she is pushing forward, pushing back, sometimes behind, sometimes in front. It is a balancing act which is what I think we are all trying to do in life, to find that delicate, sensitive, middle ground.”
Tshabalala is set on producing life-size works in the future. “I want to open up the conversation and have more women see the work and engage with it and possibly think along with me,” she says.
Contact David Krut Projects via [email protected] to view artworks published at the David Krut Workshop. For sales or inquiries, contact the gallery director Amé Bell at 082 895 9487.
Since her recent exhibition: The Ever Present Shift with Galley 2 at the Turbine Art Fair, Mbali Tshabalala has been shortlisted for several prestigious art awards: the Sasol New Signatures, the BET Awards, and the Anna Award with Latitudes. The Spier Art Trust and Rand Merchant Bank, amongst others, have also approached her.
Essence: Mbali Tshabalala’s artworks, ‘In an Ever-present Flux’ (top, left) ‘Finding Self’, (middle) ‘Presence of Self at the Table’ (right) and ‘Mbali, Still I Am’, (bottom). Photos: Courtesy of the artist and David Krut Projects
A member of the David Krutt team in Maboneng, Tshabalala deals with recurring themes: an existential dialogue and an inquiry into external influences that inform her existence as a young South African woman of isiXhosa and Setswana descent.
Collaboration and an almost alchemical rapport with a printmaker are at the heart of Tshabalala’s process. Printmaker, Sibongiseni Khulu joins the conversation. Khulu joined David Krutt as an intern for two years in 2015 before becoming part of the printmaking team.
“With printmaking there is always an overpass of energy and a sharing of ideas,” Tshabalala says.
“Our job as printmakers is ultimately to make sure that the artist’s vision is fulfilled. Khulu says. “Printmakers have been in the footnote of history but in the end what matters is that the art survives and the artist is happy.”
David Krutt spotted Tshabalala at the 2021 Turbine Art Fair, shortly after the Covid lockdown was relaxed, where she was exhibiting with a collective, Untitled, and invited her to join the team.
Tshabalala came across printmaking when she was working as a darkroom photographer. “When figuring out how to print the images I came across alternative processes and discovered mediums like paper lithography, which borders photography and printmaking,” she says.
All Tshabalala’s work starts off with a photo-shoot. “I either use a timer or commission a photographer to take a series of pictures of myself in different regalia.
Asked whether she sees herself as her own muse, she says: “Not necessarily, it is more about the image of a black woman and referencing culture and a time, but I can only speak about my own experience; I can’t borrow somebody else’s experience.”
In her current body of work, Tshabalala is wearing a traditional blanket, which speaks to the rite of passage when a woman gets married and becomes a ‘makoti’ she no longer belongs to herself, she is her husband’s property and she belongs to his family.
“I wanted to use the blanket as a provocation and an interrogation of the roles that black women carry within society, particularly in terms expectations. Women are the matriarchs, the nurturers, the mothers, and play a multitude of other roles, but they must also be quiet, they must not contribute actively, they must be submissive,” says Tshabalala.
Describing herself as a ‘global individual’ who is well-travelled, educated and influenced by the cultures and languages of other countries and books she has read, Tshabalala expresses the existential tension she lives with.
The lino cuts in her work represent community, chaos, global influences and voices from a very abstract perspective, she explains. “But I also wanted it to speak to femininity. I am very much attracted to the feminine and I see that here is power in it, in the same way that I see that there are aspects of my culture that are honourable,” says Tshabalala.
The artist does not see herself as a feminist in rigidly defined terms. “It’s too simplistic,” she asserts. “I am very objective. I understand what my role is and I understand my aspirations, but I am also always trying to juggle and to find spaces in between. I would love to see a time when my culture has evolved,” she says.
Speaking to Tshabalala’s current body of work, Khulu says: “Within this edition, we started off making tests, different versions of the same image. Later we discovered that it could exist as a varied edition, where it is intact within its wholeness but within this edition we have five images. They don’t have to look exactly the same.”
“And they shouldn’t,” Tshabalala says. “The intention is that they should have a common essence but also stand on their own as individual works.” The series is entitled: The Presence of Self at the Table of Us.
“I’m talking about myself within the whole. There is a very straightforward looking figure, myself in this case, wearing the traditional blanket. The figure is regal and in a sense very proud. She is not ashamed and is looking out. But she is also surrounded by a lot of noises in the background, which sometimes infringes on the figure. The idea is that she is pushing forward, pushing back, sometimes behind, sometimes in front. It is a balancing act which is what I think we are all trying to do in life, to find that delicate, sensitive, middle ground.”
Tshabalala is set on producing life-size works in the future. “I want to open up the conversation and have more women see the work and engage with it and possibly think along with me,” she says.
Contact David Krut Projects via [email protected] to view available artworks published at the David Krut Workshop. For sales or inquiries contact the Gallery Director Amé Bell at 082-895-9487.