The concept of a stokvel, as well as installations of a hair salon and a shebeen, are centrepieces of the latest exhibition in the William Humphreys Art Gallery (Whag) in Kimberley.
Also part of the Feminism Ya Mang, Feminism Yethu, Feminism Yani exhibition is the striking and somewhat upsetting photo display called Women Who Murder Their Husbands.
“Come into the space, enjoy the art and focus on different conversations,” is the advice and invitation of Samantha Modisenyane, a South African independent freelance cultural practitioner, curator and researcher.
With feminism an extremely wide and often complex concept, the works on display is a reflection of the variety of experiences and expressions of feminism in the Southern African context.
Feminism Ya Mang explores how women interact with and live in these realities, with the goal to explore its many faces and phases.
“A stokvel is one of the economic strategies our mothers used,” says Masechaba Moloi, project coordinator of the Goethe-Institut South Africa. By making use of the stokvel strategy, women not only show their strength, but also use it as a tool to support the family.
Pinky’s Hair Salon is a reminder of colour, laughter, tears and gossip; but also portrays the message that the way a woman looks has been a big part of her struggle for justice.
Home of Empty’s
gives recognition to all matriachs who have been running informal shebeens from the family home or garage.
Moloi, who expressed her appreciation on the presence of learners of the Kimberley Art Centre who attended the walkabout of the exhibition, emphasised that such a gallery space was for engagement.
The exhibition invites viewers to examine their own experiences with and conceptions of feminism as a term and movement, and highlights the wide range of interpretations and expressions of feminism.
Moloi and Modisenyane, in collaboration with Danai Mupotsa, Motlatsi Khosi and Lindiwe Mngxitama, conceptualised the exhibition in the Covid-19 pandemic; and after the exhibition opened in Polokwane, it was on display in Cape Town and Mahikeng, to name a few, with Kimberley the last stop.
Modisenyane studied Art History and English at the University of South Africa (Unisa), while working and volunteering at the Polokwane Art Museum and arts organisations in Polokwane. She is one of three founding members of LEMA, a collective that manages and develops emerging projects.
The exhibition is curated independently by the artists with the support of the Goethe-Institut, Polokwane Art Museum, the University of Cape Town’s Works of Art Committee and Institute for Creative Arts, North West University (NWU) and Whag, where the exhibition will be on display until 29 April.
