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The best of art and creativity from the continent and the diaspora

Today we wrap up our #artisttakeover by @bongani_n

Today we wrap up our #artisttakeover by @bongani_njalo who has shared some of his notable work with us over his decade long career. We will continue to share a few more images of his available works for sale like this one from the series of #interventions at the @norvalfoundationThis #intevention was part of a series of works commissioned by @khanyi007 the adjunct curator for performance art at the @norvalfoundation as part of the #HistoricalGlitchVol2 series of #interventions and #performancesKindly contact the artist directly for available artworks via email bongani.njalo13@gmail.com or DM: @bongani_njalo#contemporaryafricanart #southafrican #southafricanart #southafricanartist #queerartist #queer #Xhosa #masculinity #femininity #intersectionality #digitalprints #Inxeba

As part of the interventions, @bongani_njalo unvei

As part of the interventions, @bongani_njalo unveiled his self-portrait. This is a work in perpetual progress that the artist continues to incorporate into the traveling intervention #AbafanaAbafani (day 1/3)

As part of a three day series of interventions: #A

As part of a three day series of interventions: #AbafanaAbafani (2019) by @bongani_njalo was commissioned and situated within the #HistoricalGlitchVol2 program of performances and interventions curated by @khanyi007 for the @norvalfoundation (day 1/3)

As part of a three day series of interventions: #A

As part of a three day series of interventions: #AbafanaAbafani (2019) by @bongani_njalo was commissioned and situated within the #HistoricalGlitchVol2 program of performances and interventions curated by @khanyi007 for the @norvalfoundation (day 1/3)

Follow the link below to @bongani_njalo and his @t

Follow the link below to @bongani_njalo and his @tedxpretoria talk here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xEr5KAwC0QI

#AbafanaAbafani by @bongani_njaloPrints availab

#AbafanaAbafani by @bongani_njaloPrints available for sale. Contact the artist directly for further information

Challenging the norms of traditional Xhosa masculi

Challenging the norms of traditional Xhosa masculinity, @bongani_njalo staged #AbafanaAbafani in defiance of the banning of the globally successful movie #Inxeba in the Eastern Cape where the movie was produced.

#AbafanaAbafani intervention by @bongani_njalo#

#AbafanaAbafani intervention by @bongani_njalo#QueerXhosa #queer #queerafrican #queerart #queerartist #xhosa #masculinity #africanart #africanartist #artafricatakeover #art #contemporaryafricanart #intervention #publicart #intersectionality

From his early works @bongani_njalo experimented w

From his early works @bongani_njalo experimented with the idea of elevating his #drawing from the flat two-dimensional surface by sewing through the paper (Fabriano) and lifting the works from the wall, allowing them to be free-standing objects that engage with their environments and viewers. His intention was to bend the reality and our understanding and approach to drawing, to reimagine it as lively and expandable in the three-dimensional world. These drawings are his investigation on death as a transcendental shift in consciousness.The works are from the Shapes of my Soul series (2009-2018). Images courtesy of the artist's private and commercial collectors as well as the artist's archive.Kindly contact the artist directly for available artworks via email bongani.njalo13@gmail.com

The Undoing of Soga (2017) Performance 📍Cape T

The Undoing of Soga (2017)
Performance
📍Cape Town Harbour
📸: @noncedocharmaineCurated by @khanyi007In 2017, @bongani_njalo was invited and commissioned to participate in the #puncturepoints exhibition where he reflected on the influence of his ancestor, Tiyo Soga who was responsible for the translation and effective import of Christianity into South Africa. Through the performative act, the artist symbolically cleanses himself of this heritage in an attempt to revert to African spirituality which has thrived on the continent for centuries - predating colonialism.An interview with the artist about this work can be found here: youtube.com/watch?v=785tgokgdDMLimited prints and video available for purchase. Kindly contact the artist directly for more information via DM or email: bongani.njalo13@gmail.com

Daddy's Lap (2012) by @bongani_njalo explores the

Daddy's Lap (2012) by @bongani_njalo explores the extremes of comfort and discomfort in the Home. Within the context of "Home//an experiment" an exhibition curated by @u_badu the artist brings focus to the violence perpetuated by male (father) figures in the Home and how the violence cannot be concealed behind the invisible walls as evidence of the violence is carried through trauma and permanent emotional scarring. The work questions the assumption that daddy's lap is a place of comfort and security.#sculpture #installation #queerartist #artafrica #artafricatakeover #contemporaryafricanart #africanart #southafrican #southafricanart

Text by the artist @bongani_njalo :He Does Not S

Text by the artist @bongani_njalo :He Does Not See With His Eyes (2018)The restaging of the work at Ponte, speaks of the perpetual regeneration of the building, the neighborhood of Hilbrow and Johannesburg at large. The hollow core of Ponte Towers was for years used as nothing more than a dump site by its residents until the refuse, including used diapers, human limbs and faeces rose to a staggering 14 storeys! Eventually, after many years of battles with the landlords, the core was cleaned over a three year period and even after the excavation of rubbish, the core remained stained with the stench of death and everything undesirable. The performance deals with the notion of death as a transcendental shift in consciousness and echoes the moment of engagement between Moses and God - when God reveals to Moses that I AM WHAT I AM - All that ever has been, all that is around us and all that ever will be. God to Moses we are all nothing more than a part of the greater whole which transcends time and space, that we are pure consciousness incarnate. And although I am not a devoted Christian, this is a poignant moment for me to reflect on in the Bible. A moment from which this work emanates, not only as documentation of consciousness and the self-awareness of the universe but also of ourselves and our creative purpose.📷: @dlalanje @ Ponte City Apartments