THE NALA SISTERS

(Thembi Nala: double pot, hand-built double ceramic vessel, R1,680.00)

The African Art Centre is to present an exhibition of hand built ceramic pots by Jabu, Thembi and Bongi Nala titled, appropriately, The Nala Sisters.

The Nala family legacy began more than 76 years ago with Ntombi Khumalo, who taught her daughter Siphiwe the art of clay pot making. Siphiwe in turn passed her knowledge onto her daughter Nesta Nala (1940-2005) who at the age of 12 learned how to hand coil, burnish and fire the clay sourced from river beds in Oyaya in Inkhanyezi, in the Thukela Valley near Middledrift in Zululand.

Nesta, who is often referred to as the family matriarch, passed her skills to her daughters, Bongi, Jabu, Thembi and Zanele, all of whom have produced vessels for markets both locally and internationally. Nesta never married, preferring to support her family by making ceramics and selling her wares to surrounding communities for domestic use.

Ceramic pots have been around for thousands of years and continue to play a crucial role in Zulu traditional customs. The ceramic pot is a common household vessel still used widely amongst Zulu people. Traditionally, three sizes were most common:  the large Imbiza pot for brewing; the Ukhamba pot for serving and the Umancishana pot for cooking meat, storing water and grain and for drinking sour milk.

In recent years, the Nala family has become world renowned and their unique one-of-a-kind high quality ceramic pots reside in many South African public and private collections and are highly sought after by international collectors.

Bongekile (Bongi) Nala, was born in 1960 and is the eldest daughter of Nesta. She is currently the only sibling still living and working at Oyaya in the Thukela Valley. She is a single mother who is teaching her teenage daughter pottery skills.  She relies on her pottery to make a living.

Jabulile (Jabu) Nala has been pushing boundaries with her recent collection of pots, breaking away from traditional Zulu beer containers into more sculptured forms. She has recently further developed her ceramic vessel shapes which confirm her mastery of ceramic pottery making skill. Her ‘Izinkamba’ display an additional feature, a short protruding neck, a new feature on the Zulu pots often embellished with incised geometric patterns or ‘amasumpa’ (warts). In addition, Jabu also creates special pots with cut-out circular features; the resultant negative circular spaces on the pot become a prominent aspect of the design. Jabu was born in 1969 near Eshowe and was initially taught by her mother and grandmother, Simphiwe. Jabu, who currently resides in Johannesburg, has participated in numerous exhibitions in South Africa and abroad and her work is represented in both National and International private and public collections.

Thembile Nala was born in the Nkandla district in 1973. She started producing small guinea fowl in clay when she was 12 years old and soon after that, her mother taught her to make ceramic Zulu beer pots which she sold at the Vukani Museum in Eshowe. At a young age, she developed her own style by using the traditional amansumpa warts in a variety of ways, changing their scale and arrangement.  She depicts a preference for including low sculptural reliefs on the surface of her pots often depict metaphorical concepts based on the challenges facing HIV/AIDS orphans, the 10-year anniversary of South African democracy and Zulu reed ceremonies.

Thembi followed a law degree through the University of South Africa and University of Zululand which she funded through her ceramic sales and is currently pursuing a Bachelors Degree in Creative Arts at the University of Zululand. Thembile has passed her skill onto numerous individuals in the community and is committed to preserving the heritage of traditional Zulu ceramics.  In 1998 she won the Silver Award at the FNB Vita Crafts Exhibition.

Zanele Nala (1979-2006), Nesta Nala’s youngest daughter, was killed in a car accident in 2006. Her death was a great loss for the entire Zulu ceramics community. She was continuing her mother Nesta and grandmother Simphiwe's legacy of perfectionism of form. Zanele experimented with over a dozen styles of applied surface textures and created powerfully metaphorical vessels incorporating textual messages within her pot designs, a style that has existed in Zulu ceramics since at least the 1940s.

The exhibition has been made possible from funding received from the National Arts Council of SA.

The Nala Sisters will be opened by Dr T S Pillay, Member of the African Art Centre Board of Directors, on October 17 at 17h30. The exhibition will run until November 3. The African Art Centre is situated in Florida Toad. More information from the Director, Sharon Crampton at 031-312 3804/5.