(Pot by Jabu Nala)
In celebration of national women’s month, the African Art
Centre will hold a group exhibition entitled A Woman’s Touch showcasing finely hand-crafted ceramic pottery
produced by Jabu Nala, Bongi Nala and Mabusi Ntuli. This exhibition will not
only showcase exquisite handcrafted vessels but also celebrate the advancement
of the ceramic pottery tradition and contemporary techniques explored by the
exhibitors.
Initially utilised as ‘izinkamba’ (household vessels) for
drinking, serving, transporting and brewing sorghum–based beer, the hand-coiled
beer pots were not only highly valued by Zulu people but also by other
indigenous communities in Southern Africa. The Nala family is internationally
renowned for maintaining the traditional practice through three generations.
The late Nesta Nala learnt her skills from her mother Simphiwe,
then passed her hand-coiled vessel technique to her daughters Jabu, Thembi and
Bongi at their home in Oyaya in the Eshowe district Contemporary young artists
continue to marvel at the workmanship and exceptional quality of the Nala
ceramic wares skilfully burnished and embellished with ‘amasumpa’ warts.
Jabu and Bongi Nala have nurtured this cultural tradition
and have also introduced distinctive individuality to their designs.
Jabulile Nala (1969), now residing in Johannesburg,
continues to produce her ceramic ware with natural red and grey clay dug from
Oyaya grounds near her home in Eshowe.
Even though this clay has to be ground and sieved prior to being
modelled into pots, Jabu enjoys the process and the resulting elasticity of the
clay. Over the years, she has pushed boundaries of the ceramic tradition by not
merely decorating her pots with incised patterns and ‘amasumpa’ but also
exploring various forms and textures on her work. Her special ceramic vessel
shapes have featured protruding cylindrical multiple openings, hollow circular
openings on pots, flat necked ‘uphiso’ pots and cylindrical vase shapes. Her
mastery of ceramic pottery-making skills has been acknowledged locally and
internationally by art galleries, private and public collectors. Jabu has
recently returned from the successful annual Santa Fe International Folk Art
Market in USA, where she has participated every year since 2010. The African
Art Centre’s exhibition will celebrate the continuing family legacy and the
marriage of traditional and modern contemporary design techniques.
Bongi Nala (1960) is Nesta Nala’s eldest daughter living in
Oyaya village in Eshowe. Bongi learnt pottery-making skills from her mother at
the age of 12, initially producing pots to sell in her community for domestic
purposes. Since she lost her husband, ceramic-making became her only source of
income which was used to raise her children. Bongi now not only sells her work
in her community but also to tourists visiting the Nala home in Eshowe and at
the African Art Centre. She values the ceramic tradition and believes it must
be sustained. She has trained her eldest daughter, Phumzile, in pottery-making
skills and both mother and daughter often travel together to sell their work. Bongi
and Phumzile enjoy making the traditional ‘izinkamba’ shapes in various sizes.
They have also both begun exploring unique stylized vase and calabash shaped
pots, some with rough textured surfaces. The exhibition will also feature a
selection of pots made by Phumzile.
Mabusi (Busisiwe) Ntuli (1981) hails from the KwaMaphumulo
area in KwaZulu-Natal. She currently lives in the Illovo district outside
Durban and is studying towards a degree in Jewellery Design at the Durban
University of Technology. She is thrilled to be sharing a platform with the
renowned Nala family who she has always looked up to. It was only when she
enrolled at the BAT Centre Visual Art Classes that she had an opportunity to
learn ceramic pottery-making skills, taught by Clive Sithole. She states: “My
work is greatly inspired by the Nala Family and by Clive Sithole’.
Mabusi’s ceramic vessels are modelled in terracotta,
earthenware and white clay and fired in a kiln. Her work displays creative
combination of traditional and modern ceramic-making methods. Her pots are moulded
into unique ‘ukhamba’ beer pot shapes, sometimes embellished in pierced
patterns, further smoke-fired or glazed. “The African Centre is proud to be
showcasing this brilliant young talent as proof of the continuing ceramic
pottery tradition now combining with modern contemporary ceramic pottery trends,”
says Director of the African Art Centre, Magdalene Reddy.
This showcase of work by three women ceramicists who are
preserving and expanding on the pottery tradition will open with a special
event at the African Art Centre on August 11 featuring a performance by the
legendary Latozi Mpahleni, better known as Madosini. Madosini makes and plays
the Uhadi (music bow), Umrhubhe (mouth bow) and is also an expert on the
Isitolotolo (Jewish harp).
Reddy says: “Madosini is one of South Africa’s living
legends and the Centre is delighted that she will share her traditional Xhosa
music at the Woman’s Touch opening.
It is a proud moment for women artists; let us celebrate the talents, skills
and special qualities of our women every day!”
The exhibition will open on August 11 at 17h30 for 18h00 and
runs until September 3 at the African Art Centre at 94 Florida Road,
Morningside. More information on 031 312 3804/5 or email africanartcentre@afri-art.co.za
or visit www.afriart.co.za
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