Umntana ka Sotshintshi
Red terracotta clay
18,5 cm x 18 cm x 18 cm
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
In Xhosa culture, bees play a significant role as ancestors or ancestral messengers. Their presence conveys a message sent from the ancestors, and in such cases, a goat has to be slaughtered or kusilwe umqombothi (brew African beer).
As a great-grandchild raised by my late great-grandmother, uMagaba, I have created a ceramic vessel as a tribute to her. With marks and designs portraying Xhosa patterns found on women esiXhoseni when they prepare themselves for ceremonies or events, I have applied these to convey how proud she was of being inenekazi lomXhosa.
I used red terracotta clay, which is easier to control and work with when hand-building using coiling or slab techniques. I chose it because red terracotta has a firm and grainy texture that allows it to build up as it dries quickly. Its particles hold strongly together, and I specifically used this medium and the hand-coiling technique because it relates to my great-grandmother. She was a handy person who loved fixing and tidying up, and through her discipline, she strengthened her family. I am still living up to her teachings.
For the finish, I used glazes and oxides: honey glaze at the top to give it the clean shine of honey from the beehive, copper oxide at the bottom to show texture, and black and blue underglazes on the designs.
GALLERY
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