Nomfundo Mohlala, Izimfihlo zamanzi (Secrets of the Water), 2023, Ceramic Earthenware, 45 (H) x 120 (W) x 60 (D) cm
As a ceramicist dealing with the issues around spirituality and African knowledge, I create works from my dreams, which I regard as an immaterial medium offering a lens to existence across time and space. Through my practice, I ask questions about the connections between spirituality and life underwater, which I see as a pathway towards answering my spiritual calling. I understand water to be the substance from which a divine power separates the earth, life and everything that is. Water is a metaphor for the flight of thoughts. Water is one of the elements that brings with it a new circle of life. I use the colour white for purity and a range of blues to represent calmness and responsibility, as well as the wisdom passed down from my forefathers. The intentionally cracked and deformed surfaces represent the challenges experienced in following my spiritual calling. My forms represent the visions from my dreams. There are always three forms that represent the male and female ancestors and the living. The forms depict a time capsule that holds information on how to heal, fight, and guide. I am a sentinel of the spiritual world.
Nomfundo Mohlala was born in 1997 in Gauteng, South Africa. She is currently studying toward her Advanced Diploma in Fine & Applied Arts at Tshwane University of Technology. Mohlala follows an interdisciplinary practice that encompasses ceramics sculpture and drawing. Through this, she creates commanding works infused with spirituality. Mohlala has participated in numerous exhibitions and competitions across South Africa.