The South African multidisciplinary artist explores through her work African identity and the cultural interconnectedness that clash and coexist in the modern world.
Image courtesy the Artist and October Gallery, London.
Photo by John Baloy and Bontle Juku.
Zana Masombuka, whose artist name is Ndebele Superhero, lives and works between her studio in Johannesburg and her farm in Sterkloop, in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa. This graduate in international studies from Stellenbosch University has learned the art of critical thinking.
In her creative process, this 30-year-old virtuoso composes visual narratives that bear witness to the active role of artists on the new African scene, poised to become the new pioneers in the evolution and preservation of their heritage. She draws inspiration from her upbringing in a small rural town of the Ndebele tribe and illustrates her vision of the world through various mediums: photography, video, sculpture, and performance.
Her art is based on collaboration, with the artist working with photographers, videographers, and other creatives. She thus stages herself to highlight her ideas on the traditions, symbolism, and origins of her people, in order to radically re-examine the position of the individual.
Her artistic alter ego, Ndebele Superhero, stems from her storytelling platform where she expresses and recounts stories of culture, identity, technology, spirituality, and capitalism that interact with various societal issues. Zana Masombuka has exhibited in Cape Town, as well as in Italy and London for her first solo show.
Image courtesy the Artist and October Gallery, London.
Photo by John Baloy and Bontle Juku.
Zana Masombuka, Nges'rhodlweni: Is'memo 32023 © Zana Masombuka
Image courtesy the Artist and October Gallery, London.
Photo by John Baloy and Bontle Juku.
Cultural Renaissance
The series Proudly South African is an interesting meditation on how his "born-free" generation is replacing the traumas of apartheid, injecting the fruits of modernity into indigenous traditions. The photographs thus offer a powerful blend of bold colors and national symbols. The color green, present on the South African flag, symbolizes fertility and plays a fundamental role here.
"The youth of South Africa today are complex. We are not satisfied with the ideas imposed upon us about what we 'should be'."she explains. « To a certain extent, we are the fertile soil in which we plant and cultivate, hence the significance of the color green. It also aims to address the importance of tribalism, patriotism, and nationalism; and how these particular themes are intertwined with the culture of globalization.
His series Time: Gadesi S'khathi Meanwhile, it captures the essence of time through the metaphorical use of lemons, pushing its reflection on how colonial influence has altered African perspectives.
Zana Masombuka's photographic work moves and captivates. Her nickname catalyzes this energy and completes the strength of this young Ndebele woman of the 21st century.e century in this reappropriation of the superhero figure, drawing on the pride and wealth of its people.
Image courtesy the Artist and October Gallery, London.
Photo by John Baloy and Bontle Juku.
Zana Masombuka, Nges'rhodlweni: iNothiso 52023 © Zana Masombuka
Image courtesy the Artist and October Gallery, London.
Photo by John Baloy and Bontle Juku.
