Ekunyamezeleni Ukhona Umvuzo
Liquid tempera, oil pastel, acrylic and silkscreen on black denim
84 cm x 104 cm
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
Ekunyamezeleni ukhona umvuzo — a proverb shared across isiXhosa and isiZulu — speaks to the enduring truth that perseverance bears reward. This work stands as both a tribute to my grandmother, Mrs. B. Moko, and a personal milestone in my evolving artistic journey. It forms part of the extended body of work that began with Ndizamela Wena Mntanam and now continues as what I consider the “deluxe edition” of that early exploration — a bridge between my visual practice and my musical roots.
This piece is built from the layered fragments of memory, resistance, and love. My process begins with photography, specifically archival images from my post-colonial upbringing. These photographs are not simply preserved; they are subverted, reimagined. Through this act, I decolonise the gaze, reclaim familial narratives, and project a future rooted in dignity, memory, and transformation. Each image becomes a diary entry, a conversation with oneself, and a promise to the generations that will follow.
The central composition features a portrait of my grandmother — rendered in monochrome liquid tempera — captured from her former place of employment. This medium, often associated with children’s school projects, is deliberately chosen. It speaks to innocence, learning, and imagination — qualities I see in her strength and tenderness. The pigment also mirrors the muted tones of the uniform she once wore, while the glow it emits against the black denim surface elevates her story, honouring both her struggle and her unspoken victories. It is an effort to retrieve the child within her — a confident, sharp-edged, charismatic and styled woman whose resilience became an inheritance.
Beside her is a silhouette of my own face, suggesting an intergenerational dialogue. In the bottom right corner, an oil pastel drawing evokes a moment from my performance at the Alchemy of Fragments exhibition — a visual and performative celebration of my mother’s strength. This drawing operates as a decolonial gesture, reclaiming space for Black women’s resistance to be witnessed, validated, and remembered with the reverence it deserves.
Ekunyamezeleni Ukhona Umvuzo is not only a work of remembrance — it is also a map. It charts a journey through hardship, beauty, and resistance. It is a visual rhythm, a personal anthem, and a prayer for the futures we are yet to live.