"Mesmerising Sentiments" by Kemang Wa Lehulere presents a dynamic composition of vivid orange, teal, and yellow brushstrokes against a dark background, creating a sense of movement and energy. The abstract shapes evoke fragmented symbols or memories, reflecting Wa Lehulere's engagement with history and memory. The painterly technique blends bold lines with soft transitions, imbuing the piece with theatricality. Rooted in the haunting past of South Africa, this work underscores the interplay between personal and collective recollections, emphasizing the enduring impact of historical legacy. ...
Kemang Wa Lehulere’s practice engages with the past of South Africa, tracing the ways it still haunts the country’s current condition. Working with personal and collective histories and archives, the artist repeatedly employs found objects representing both individual and collective memory. Wooden, old-looking school desks or mass-produced ceramic sculptures of Alsatian dogs are at once familiar and alienating; a reminder from childhood also acting as a reminder of the complexity of social structures within the Apartheid regime of South Africa. Inspired by set design and theatre, Wa Lehulere’s drawings and ‘living sculptures’, comprising smudged chalk drawings on blackboards, sculptures made of grass and soil and wall etchings, further dwell on the processes of revision, juxtaposition and the malfunction of histories. By making history physical and personal, the artist contrasts liberation with repression and sharply connects the painful past with a painful present. ...
