Themes of global and intermediate migration came to light in the projects presented by African architects Kgaugelo Lekalakala, Gugulethu Mthembu, Kate Otten, and Gloria Pavita at last year's Architecture Biennale in Venice; a keystone event in the world of architecture and design.
Now, these fascinating projects are being shown at Gallery 1 at Keyes Art Mile, giving Joburg residents a chance to engage with the complexities of spaces affected by migration, with a particular focus on the outcomes for women.
"These architects utilise their unique perspectives and experiences to create works that are not only visually and intellectually stimulating but also deeply rooted in the socio-cultural fabric of their contexts. Their projects invite viewers to reflect on the past, understand the present, and imagine future possibilities where architecture serves as a tool for social change and empowerment," reads an excerpt from the exhibition statement.
Meet the participating artists and find an overview of the works on show in Narratives of Migration and Reclamation below.
Kgaugelo Lekalakala, Tales of the Vulnerability of African Women in Transit
![](https://s.inyourpocket.com/img/text/southafrica/johannesburg/kgaugelo-lekalakala-ph-venice-architecture.jpg)
"My images move beyond the limited methods provided by traditional architectural knowledge to explore alternative spatial imaginaries of everyday issues of vulnerability and safety and to reveal some of the nuanced gendered dynamics black women experience in transit spaces. By drawing attention to how women linger and navigate through such spaces, my work seeks to provoke questions regarding the potential for more progressive and imaginative urban futures in the way urban transit and public space is designed," says Lekalakala.
Gugulethu Mthembu, The Tale of Aicha Qandisha
![](https://s.inyourpocket.com/img/text/southafrica/johannesburg/gugulethu-mthembu-ph-venice-architecture-biennale.jpg)
"Situated across different sites significant to the redressing of histories and legacies of female oppression and representation, this work takes the form of new story for Aicha Qandisha, one in which she is repatriated across the sites: a concubine slave ship, the court of law, the King’s palace, and now at the Biennale Architettura," explains the curatorial text.
Kate Otten, threads
![](https://s.inyourpocket.com/img/text/southafrica/johannesburg/sm-kate-otten-installation-ph-rmb-latitudes.jpg)
Now that her practice is rooted in Johannesburg, the city is central to her many musings. Created for the Architecture Biennale and later shown at this year's RMB Latitudes art fair, Otten's otherworldly sculptural installation, threads, is a visual exploration of Joburg's history that is most unusual, told through age-old traditions of craft and making.
Rendered in beads and mohair, the hanging disc is an impressionistic map of the Vredefort Dome – the earth's oldest known meteor crater (now a World Heritage site) dating back some two billion years. The impact of the crash sent debris and gold deposits flying, eventually leading to the discovery of gold in 1886 and the city's establishment in the gold rush that followed. This began what Otten terms a "dangerous liaison" between land and people, as well as great wealth and exploitation.
Gloria Pavita, na Bulongo [with soil]
![](https://s.inyourpocket.com/img/text/southafrica/johannesburg/gloria-pavita-ph-venice-architecture-biennale-2.jpg)
As she notes, "Soil is a body that holds and hosts the extractive, exploitative, and violent practices of the colonial and apartheid regimes, from the context of Philippi in Cape Town to that of Camp Mutombo in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo." The installation's closing narrative takes place in Pavita's late-grandmother's garden; an enduring catalyst of her experience and practice of architecture.
Narratives of Migration and Reclamation runs at Gallery 1 at Keyes Art Mile in Rosebank from Sat, Jul 27 – Sat, Aug 24.