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Founded by multidisciplinary product designer and researcher Mbali Mthethwa in 2019, The Herd is an award-winning collective integrating African artisanal techniques with contemporary art and culture. Their beadwork is rooted in traditional Nguni techniques, created in collaboration with women crafters from Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal.
With nothing if not an impressive track record, The Herd has been commissioned by the South African Mint and Nike. It has also graced international platforms including Maison & Objet Paris and the Venice Biennale, while their work has found a place in institutions like Basel's Kunst Museum and the Wereldmuseum Leiden in the Netherlands.
"For the Nguni people, craft is not just a labour of love but a profound form of communication. This exhibition aims to revive and celebrate the divine spiritual beauty of African traditional craft."
"For the Nguni people, craft is not just a labour of love but a profound form of communication," reads the curatorial statement for The Herd's latest exhibition, The Famished Road. Through the works on show, the collective celebrates the spiritual beauty of traditional African craft.
For this series, Mthethwa draws inspiration from Ben Okri's book of the same name (The Famished Road, published in 1991) to explore themes of personal emergence and identity development. She describes these pieces as love letters blending South Africa's painful history under the apartheid government with tender childhood memories. "This work honours the complex legacy woven into our infrastructure, celebrating both the oppressive origins and the nostalgic warmth of our formative years, highlighting the enduring spirit that shines through adversity," reads the exhibition text.
The Famished Road opens in the Annex at Keyes Art Mile on Thu, Aug 1 as part of Keyes Art Night. It's a wonderful coming together of traditional Nguni techniques, modern design sensibility, and personal storytelling.
