Ti Colour Blocko, 2025
Found plastic, wool and cotton thread
144 cm x 144 cm
Artist’s Statement
My practice is rooted in inherited knowledge passed down through generations in my family. We preserved our cultural identity and spiritual consciousness through the act of weaving and interlocking materials. For us, weaving is more than skill, it is a language of memory, care, and continuity. As the sole inheritor of this tradition, I understand my role as both a bearer and protector of this legacy. My work responds to the urgency of preserving African spirituality and cultural identity. My practice engages this responsibility of preserving through employing wool and recycled plastic metaphorically and thematically.
The plastics collected in the streets and dumping sites, crochet together they become a metaphor for protecting cultural values against decay and loss. The work Ti Colour Blocko, is constructed through the interlocking of multiple crocheted plastic blocks, contributing to a visual language of preserving from fragmentation. Each block has its own pattern, hence pointing scarce ancestor’s knowledge. The inclusion of missing blocks points to the loss of cultural and spiritual knowledge. However, the work is not lamenting on the loss, but it is fuelled with adaptability, resistance and storytelling. The work is titled Ti Colour Blocko, to reflect to the vibrance and the love of colour mixing by Tsonga people.
