Drawing from traditional ceremonies, physical typographies, and legacies of the Xhosa people from the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, Mbunyuza creates large-scale figural sculptures and objects that document and honor the rituals and land associated with his native people.
Each vessel and sculpture is richly decorated with distinct textural and illustrative markings that depict regional iconography from line drawings of homes to rippled grasses as seen from an aerial perspective. The works are notable for the delineated bands of color and pattern, which Mbunyuza achieves through a combination of repetitive mark-making and the use of oxide washes to enhance the surface texture and create distinct yellows, oranges, greens, and blues. The oxide wash also mimics the appearance of imbhola which are botanically produced pigments the Xhosa women apply to their faces, further emphasizing the works’ connection to the earth.
Mbunyuza utilizes every bit of the sculptures’ surface to recreate cultural scenes, mimic landscapes, and add appendages that represent animal, human, or decorative flourishes. In particular, the artist tends toward representing the female form, through the incorporation of breast or nipple-like elements, but also by taking inspiration from tools like Imbhokodo, which is an oval-shaped rock that is used predominantly by Xhosa women to grind corn. The artist often reflects on the role women play in the village both as mothers, but also as the primary caregivers in the community, and—most importantly—as symbols of strength and power.
Mbunyuza has been an artist in residence at Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts in Helena, Montana. Recent group exhibitions include ArtNow, Oklahoma Contemporary, Oklahoma City; Small Objects, A.I.R. Vallauris; Franschhoek Annual Festival, Art in the Yard Gallery, Franschhoek, among many others.
[excerpted from David Kordansky Gallery website: www.davidkordanskygallery.com]
