Artist discusses her 'Spirit' series, focusing on a digital collage that uses self-portraiture to connect with female ancestors beyond religious boundaries.
Key facts
- •The 'Spirit' series of digital collages was initiated by the artist in 2021.
- •The artwork 'Holy Gang' incorporates a church in Fateng-tse-Ntsho, Free State province, South Africa.
- •The artist uses white cloth in her work to symbolize transcendence and connection to her ancestors.
- •The artist grew up moving between urban Johannesburg and her mother's hometown of Fateng-tse-Ntsho.
- •The work aims to explore identity and spirituality through lineage and memory rather than religious doctrine.
Artist and photographer explores themes of identity and belonging in her digital collage titled 'Holy Gang.' The work, part of her 'Spirit' series, features the artist's self-portraits layered against a church in Fateng-tse-Ntsho, South Africa. The piece serves as an imagined meeting place for the artist to connect with her female ancestors.
Symbolism and artistic process
The artist began the 'Spirit' series in 2021, utilizing self-portraiture and white cloth to represent her female ancestors. She describes the white cloth as a visual language of transcendence that bridges the gap between herself and her forebears, regardless of religious affiliation. The church depicted in the work is the Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk in Afrika, a site familiar to the artist from childhood visits to her mother's hometown.
Redefining belonging
The artist uses the term 'gang' in the title to represent agency, solidarity, and collective force among the women of her lineage. She notes that while the women in the image appear to be moving toward the church, the structure is merely a backdrop. Her ultimate goal is to meet her ancestors beyond the limitations of religious practice, moving toward a sun positioned higher in the composition.
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This article was independently rewritten by ManyPress editorial AI from reporting originally published by The Guardian Global Development.
