At Ellis House Gallery, a rising artist transforms grief, memory and culture into a textured journey of identity and interconnectedness.
Courtesy of Ellis House Gallery.
In his deeply evocative debut solo exhibition, ‘Khanda Art’, Siyabonga Mlambi presents an enchanting body of work that pulses with heart, harmony, and heritage.
Rooted in the rich cultural soil of Bizana in the Eastern Cape and nurtured through years of experimentation, Mlambi’s work transcends the visual to explore themes of love, loss, identity, unity, and the fragile bonds that hold humanity together.
He draws from these roots to create a visual language he calls “Khanda-Art Synthetic Cubism.” His mixed-media works on stretched canvas are layered, textured expressions that transcend mere technique.
Ellis House-based Mlambi cleverly uses pulp paper, charcoal, acrylic, and water paint to form a spiritual mesh of interconnectedness, a tribute to his late mother, and a reflection on the universe’s shared humanity.
The exhibition features over 16 paintings and a few small sculptures fashioned from discarded materials, an eco-conscious nod to upcycling that aligns with his themes of renewal and unity.
As a recycling artist, he gives new life to his off-cuts and discarded materials that could have impacted the course of nature.
Geometrical faces – sometimes fragmented, sometimes contoured – emerge throughout the works, symbolising a spectrum of human experience.
Despite conflict or contradiction, these figures coexist, challenging viewers to consider peace, tolerance, and love as essential to humanity’s shared existence.
Mlambi’s command of colour and form breathes life into each piece; his lines act as vital veins, connecting the emotional to the cosmic. From multi-culture and identity to nature and loss, ‘Khanda Art’ is almost a journey into the soul of an artist and a heartfelt offering to the world.
The exhibition is on view at Ellis House Gallery in Troyeville until July 3, 2025. For more information, please visit Ellis House.
