Mawande Ka Zenzile

Mawande Ka Zenzile questions the intersections of spirituality, identity, and materiality. He employs a diverse range of media—including painting, sculpture, installation, and performance—to explore themes such as colonialism, power structures, and the politics of representation. A distinctive feature of his work is the use of cow dung, a material rooted in his Eastern Cape upbringing, which he combines with oil paint to challenge traditional notions of art materials and to affirm indigenous knowledge systems. Central to his work is the use of cow dung, a material traditionally used in healing practices within isiXhosa culture. Ka Zenzile employs this medium not only as a motif but also as a material, imbuing his artworks with sensory depth and connecting them to ancestral healing practices. He describes his artistic journey as increasingly intertwined with his spiritual path as an itola (healer/seer), where creativity emerges organically and concepts unfold intuitively. His paintings often incorporate themes from various sources, including history, visual culture, memory, popular culture, literature, and philosophy. Through this integration, Ka Zenzile aims to broaden the parameters of creativity, using art as a language that transcends traditional syntax and offers new perspectives on understanding and meaning. Through his multifaceted practice, Mawande Ka Zenzile continues to challenge and expand the boundaries of contemporary art, offering nuanced insights into the complexities of identity, history, and spirituality. ...