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I love finding new artists like emerging South African born Zandile Tshabalala. Her work explores figurative themes, particularly the representation of black women and how they navigate history which is why I was immediately drawn. I was thrilled when I found out that one of her paintings would be on show at Art Basel 2022. I darted straight to Galerie Nagel Drexler’s booth to see her piece My mother’s garden: Umcimbi I (A Gathering I), (2022).

In her latest exhibition “Lovers in a secret place”, Tshabalala taps into her own experiences of finding love and of heart break which is universal. Her standout piece “Lovers in a secret place” depicts a black woman lounging on a chaise long donned in a powder pink pajama accented with feathers, hot pick heels and all things feminine like red painted nails and lips. Tshabalala’s protagonists usually take center stage in her work. The heroin in this piece although she leers at you with resignation of a love lost grips the leaf of a monstera deliciosa. A plant in the language of flowers represent deep relationships sometimes also symbolizing suffocation. Just as she seems to be suffocating the pillow with her stretched legs.

I love Tshabalala’s use of negative space which draws in the viewer to the heroin, as seen in her other two pieces The Embrace and Sweetest love. Again, accenting them with either a red lip, red nails and sometimes both. Tshabalala’s secret dreamscapes are so effective in creating an intimacy and delicacy. Using the paint stokes of the plant leaves, feathers, furs and accents to unwittingly draw you in deeper into the darkness or “blackness” of her central figures. It’s extraordinary!

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Zandile Tshabalala studied at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. She has shown her work in the UK and Ghana. The artist who currently works in Johannesburg, describes herself as a young woman from Soweto raised by women and who is interested in the lives of women around her. Her work is centered around minorities and how versatile they are. How versatile we are!

Tshabalala’s work often depicts the vulnerability of the black nude body presenting them in an empowering manner thus showing that we can indeed be soft. Contrary to being hard which I too have been criticized for as a black woman. Revealing the other side of the coin of the gender based violent society that black women live in today. Her work resonates with me on all of these levels. Exceptionally powerful stuff.

“When I look at my work I feel very proud to see that I’m evolving towards the woman I’d like to be one canvas at a time.”

The artist herself celebrates and does not shy away from her own femininity which is what struck me when I found her online. She embodies a new kind of artist, representing the extraordinary new talent coming out of the African.

WHERE TO FIND THE ARTIST

Follow on Instagram: zandiletshabalala_

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