Johannesburg-based artist Lazi Mathebula's (known as @bombisa) latest exhibition at The Artivist in Braamfontein pays homage to Sophiatown's vibrant history; once a hub for art, music, culture and community, before it was destroyed under the apartheid regime. Yet the conflict and forced removals are not the focus of Mathebula's work in Bekumnandi Sisonke. Instead, he calls these works on paper a love letter, created out of his resonance with the same era of Sophiatown that nurtured South African musical giants Hugh Masekela, Dolly Rathebe and Miriam Makeba, and literary greats Can Themba, Bloke Modisane and Es'kia Mphahlele, among others.
This visual ode, so called by the artist, captures the heart and soul of Sophiatown in its prime: a homage to and celebration of a pivotal place in time. A time when "It was fun together," as the show's isiXhosa title indicates. Further, the Sophiatown portrayed in Mathebula's works against the suburb as it exists today adds another yet layer to the ongoing dialogue between the country's past and present.
Bekumnandi Sisonke is showing at Artivist in Braamfontein until Thu, 28 Sep. Watch below for the artist's reflections on the body of work presented.
