Nicholas Hlobo (Artist research)
Artist research:
Name: Nicholas Hlobo
Where are they from and where are they now:
South African artist based in Johannesburg, South Africa.
He was born in 1975 in Cape Town
He creates large sculptural works that are expansive masses which at once feel oozey, voluptuous and highly structured. The contrast of femininity and masculinity is created by his use of dissimilar materials such as rubber inner tubes, ribbon, organza, lace and found objects.
Though originally planning to study art in order to work in the film industry, Hlobo decided to pursue a career as a visual artist as another way of contributing to South African culture.
Artwork (for each relevant piece):
Name of work:
What is it, and what is it made of:
One of South Africa’s leading artists, Nicholas Hlobo creates large sculptural structures and works on paper that explore ethnicity, masculinity, and sexual identity.
Image:
Ulwamvila, 2015 ribbons on linen and cotton canvas 62.99 x 98.43 inches 160 x 250 cm
ingubo yesizwe, 2008 leather, rubber, gauze, ribbon, steel, found ball-and-claw chair leg, butcher’s hook, chain 150 x 260 x 3000cm
What does it mean/represent:
‘ingubo yesizwe’ (‘clothes or blanket of the nation’) is comprised of hundreds of tiny stitched pieces of discarded leather and rubber, sewn together to become the multifaceted skin of a large animal-like form. the work references the tradition in xhosa culture of commemorating important milestones with the ceremonial slaughter of a cow; in the death ritual in particular, the animal’s hide is used to cover the corpse before burial to protect the deceased in his or her voyage to the afterlife, the meaning of ‘ingubo yesizwe’.
in this work, leather is thus used to consciously represent traditional xhosa values and practices, while rubber signifies modernization. although seemingly perfectly integrated throughout much of the sculpture, the illusion is unwoven by the spilling out of cords and fabric in parts of the sculpture, a visual echo of the ceremonial slaughter.
Connection to culture:
Hlobo mines post-apartheid South Africa and his own Xhosa culture, drawing from Xhosa language for his titles. Ingubo Yesizwe (2008), originally commissioned by the Tate Modern, is a giant hybrid creature stitched together with pieces of leather and the rubber inner tubes of car wheels. The title, which translates to “clothes [or blanket] of the nation,” refers to the Xhosa ritual wherein cowhide is used to cover a corpse before burial for its protection upon entering the afterlife. Hlobo’s creature has been seen to represent both its own transformation from raw materials into form, and the potential for Africa’s transformation.
“Through my works I attempt to create conversations that explore certain issues within my culture as a South African,” says Hlobo of his work in his Artist Statement.https://www.library.auckland.ac.nz/services/it-essentials/email “The conversations become a way of questioning people’s perceptions around issues of masculinity, gender, race and ethnicity.”
Hlobo draws on his Xhosa heritage in his work, using the language to title each of his pieces and exhibitions and draws inspiration from his own relationship to the culture (other notable Xhosa men include Nelson Mandela).
“Winning the Tollman Award has been the most significant moment in my career. It made me realise the importance of my being an artist in this country – suddenly someone celebrated my contribution into the South African culture.”
In this way, Hlobo’s work operates both on visual and linguistic levels. It presents us with a problem. Not everyone is an isiXhosa speaker. So what is the intention, given that some titles are explained, but others are not? Even the ones that are explained often have double meanings or complex histories.
Connection to collonialism:
Critique/response to artwork:
The artist, writer and curator Thembinkosi Goniwe has argued that when it comes to discussing the work of black artists, critics tend to use the artist’s biography as a primary point of departure, often to the detriment of the work itself.
I have also argued that ethnicity and tutelage, or the lack thereof, have come to over-determine how we think of artists who are deemed rural and self-taught.
Having said that, however, one has to acknowledge that when artists speak about their work, they make references to their life experience, their background, beliefs, whether political or religious, and self-identity. There exists the very real danger that the artists, no matter how they identify themselves, can thus be easily boxed.
For one thing, he always gives his work titles in isiXhosa. The titles often refer, subtly, to body parts, cultural practices or sexual acts. Thus the act of thinking through Hlobo’s work involves prying apart the aesthetic, historical and conceptual from the biographical.
Quite often, when contemplating whether any space remains for rigorous criticism, I find myself repeating Lauryn Hill, in her appropriation of the line by The Doors: “Come on baby, light my fire”.
Artist further/other work/development:
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Hlobo
http://www.lehmannmaupin.com/artists/nicholas-hlobo
https://www.artsy.net/artist/nicholas-hlobo
http://artthreat.net/2010/08/artist-profile-nicholas-hlobo/
http://www.sahistory.org.za/people/nicholas-hlobo
http://www.designboom.com/art/monumental-art-by-nicholas-hlobo-reflects-xhosa-culture/
https://mg.co.za/article/2013-05-17-00-nicholas-hlobo-master-of-mystery-goes-bland
What I have learnt:
Draw on the culture you have come from – traditions, values, experiences, languages, practises (Easter lunch)
Showing a culture so people can learn about it
Titles always in Xhosa – only other Xhosa people can fully understand and connect with it unless it is explained otherwise. Could be a double meaning – are there any Afrikaans words that have similar English counterparts but mean something different. What about the Afrikaans words that don’t have English translations.
Critism can fuel the fire – work from the critism given (like the apology last year)
