All interviews/articles by Bongo Mei
ARTICLE LINKS_
https://artthrob.co.za/2023/08/04/the-body-has-many-shadows-the-sculptures-of-sydney-kumalo-and-ezrom-legae/
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-04-05-penny-siopis-transcends-characters-of-filmmaker-and-painter/
https://www.stirworld.com/see-features-a-deep-dive-into-the-classic-and-contemporary-genres-of-african-art
https://www.stirworld.com/see-features-reflections-on-the-bongi-dhlomo-collection-at-the-yakhal-inkomo-exhibition
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2022-12-13-examining-and-discussing-a-different-now-with-bonaventure-soh-bejeng-ndikung/
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2022-11-16-samson-mnisi-artistic-pioneers-prescience-was-on-display-until-the-end/
https://omny.fm/shows/the-art-of-everything/why-does-inclusivity-in-art-matter-what-is-it-and
Timeless Hour_ A Contemporary Of No Peer
TIMELESS HOUR_ Mhlekazi Samson Mnisi
Mhlekazi is an African honorary badge bestowed to distinguished personalities of meritorious capability, abbreviated as Mhl.
“I am here with a little child in me, everyone seem to be older, wiser and more knowledgeable, through the years I have not past three, still all towers and fascinate in all degrees, when will I be the man in the mirror, to me he is always a mirage, every time I reach him I find an Illusion, so I am back at three with all my confusion, how I pray for growth and understanding, that all possess but fools and three year old, I believe only a foolish old man feels like three year old child, I do mind the fact that I cant seem to develop my mind. I pray to the spirit of Old to move me to the man I see in my reflection, all my emotions and thoughts have not matured past the child I feel, I am a man defeated by a child within, I am resigned to ignorance and wonder no by choice or design, but by a flaw in default. To the wise and intelligent, please be patient to fools and mad ones, it’s the only way to describe a child with a white beard” _ Samson Mnisi, Facebook post, 6 April 2022, @samsonmnisi
Mhl. Samson Mnisi was born 1971 in Lesotho, studied Fine Art and Photography at FUBA Academy. By the time of his passing, he was based in Johannesburg, his work has been exhibited locally and internationally, from Johannesburg to Brooklyn, and everywhere in between.
Categorically he was a post war Abstract Expressionist, practicing both in painting and poetry but mostly recognized for his Fine Art endeavors. Growing up as a child he was exposed to indigenous meditative and healing rituals which later influenced his lifestyle, Art themes and technique. Spiritual perception is usually seen as crude to the circular world. Artistically this type of perspective can be recognized as abstract, Mhl. Mnisi also attested to this with a statement describing his creative process, “My Art is a symbolic language of an abstract thought. I use patterns, lines, symbols and colour to find a contemporary South African expression, I see myself as part of the timeless tradition of celebrating the human Godliness, from the first rock painting to the present time and beyond. I am interested in using Art as another element of alchemy, where through it, you can evoke and even heal certain emotions.”
Natively, before industrialization, healers were self-taught and there was a clear understanding of inherited memory, just like one can inherit height, built, or even verbal ability such as the voice.
Mhl. Mnisi in the opening poem of this article bluntly and honestly admires the reality of the spirit, where he admits that, even though his physical being is considered matured but his spirit is young, as that of a three-year-old. He even goes further to pray to the Spirit of the Old for growth, showcasing aesthetically his knowledge and understanding of an existence beyond what is reflected by the mirror. As an actor in a play or movie can stage a role so believable, that the audience cannot separate the Artist from the person, Mhl. Mnisi was gifted impeccably the same way as a poet, he interpreted the soul of an environment with words that seem figurative but at deeper inspection are as abstract as his visual displays. Bestowed with such high intelligence and spiritual awareness, his passing was a peaceful transition of conscious decision, where he titled his solo exhibition, Man Of The Hour, the day after the opening, he left our earthly realm to exist in a space of a timeless hour.
“I try to follow the old traditions, even though the ritual is different and for different reasons. I use them to communicate my own personal history, at the beginning it was about the ritual, later it was about Art, now it is a fresh language for me and those who understand it” _ Samson Mnisi
A Contemporary Of No Peer
Mhl. Mnisi is a founder of an African Art language intensely influenced by metaphysical experimentation and exploration. He is a reminder of the Korean Abstract Expressionist movement, Dansaekhwa, which commenced in the 1960’s and developed into the 1970’s, it progressed from figuration and subject matter, the primary purpose was not to make sense or relate to industrial logic, it was about expression through undiscovered technique. Just like the Korean Artists, they initially subscribed to identifying their work to their nativity, as was, Mhl. Mnisi with his African heritage. Later he swayed from familiarity, emphasized by his unlabeled titles or titles that described the abstract Artwork like, Blue and Red with White Circle. He profusely detached from accepted logic and holistically embraced the concept of abstraction.
In 2009 while still a student at university we were introduced to contemporary African Art, Mhl. Mnisi was one of the masters presented to us students of African descent, who evidenced an interest in post modernism and abstraction. Last year in December 2021, before the opening of my solo exhibition at the very gallery where he has his last solo showcase. I contacted him, not for an invite but an enquiry, that I had dreamt of his paintings and it was meaningless, even though my work was inspired by his while at university but I had evolved to become a transdisciplinary Artist. He interpreted my dream, “You were not dreaming of my work but rather it was a symbol of where you come from, because your theme and the title of your exhibition is called, Contemporary African Archives”.
It is after his interpretation that I did not only recognize him as a mentor but also a symbolic expert. Engaging with my transdisciplinary research in cognitive science and African Visual Culture, I began to realize why advanced Artists of his nature are not truly appreciated for their intelligence and merit. It must be also mentioned that as a professional he never ceased to create, conceptually and vocationally.
African Art has no history of development as one would find with the west, from the Renaissance period to Pop Art. Contrarily, Africans have participated in all Art movements all over the world because Africans are everywhere just like the rest of humankind. Secondly, African Art is authenticated by the regurgitation of primitive culture. Artists like Mhl. Mnisi, Mhl. Fikile Magadlela, Mhl. Ernest Mancoba were practicing on a developed level, like that which is considered to be of the first world and therefore cannot be categorized into third worldism.
Man Of The Hour, was a Visual Art exhibition presently mounted at Keyes Art Mile, Rosebank, Johannesburg. It was comprised of two-dimensional abstract work applied in mixed media on a variety of scales. His mark making technique is signatory, conspicuous of well-studied implement, conversely implying precarious gestures of paint drips, mark making, and smudges. The application method is diverse, separating each piece on its individual stand and expression, mastering the skill of abstract composition. Lines are portrayed as drips, colours translated as magnetic opposites in lines, dots, shapes and marks.
Asisebenze Art Atelier curated the exhibition with Ashraf Jamal, Nolan Steven, Ivy Rihlampfu and the Artist’s son Refiloe Mnisi, who has been accompanying his father while creating the work. The Artist collective started representing the Artist in January 2022 with a studio in Plein Street, Johannesburg, CBD. Artworks are mixed media, different textures on multiple objects including canvas, paper, doors, etc. Ranging in scale and price from 91 x 61cm to 255 x 150cm, prices available on request.
Nolan Steven of the collective representing the exhibition emphasized that. “…collecting a Samson Mnisi is owning an African experience, contoured by spiritual enlightenment, from his apolitical narrative to his circle symbols, reminiscing the circle of life, the triangle of family structure, mother, father and child, his work is truly an archival artefact of our time and continent”. He also exposed the Artist’s plan with the collective, to mentor young Artists and recruit buyers. “The proceeds from the exhibition will be managed and given to the family, such as his studio is now inherited by his son Refiloe, also he had aspirations of a museum exhibition in Cape Town and Pretoria, we hope to fulfil his wishes”. He affirmed
Also was a concern about his personal projects, where,” … he took people off the streets and gave them accommodation, food by employing them as his assistance, they stayed in his studio, three African women, between 20 and 27 in particular. After his passing we tried a couple of shelters but they were not accepted, now we don’t know where they are”, grieved Steven.
Mhlekazi Samson Mnisi was an individual of true revolutionary ethic, as a humanist and a man of integrity. Leaving behind a family of great potential and a baton cloaked with compassion, courage and wisdom. Rest In Peace.
on social media @bongo_mei
Digital View with Lerato Lipere
Interview with Contemporary Dancer Lerato Lipere
Transformation of Traditional Art Practices into Digital: Dance and Performance
1. Are you a futuristic artist? And please explain what that means to you?
Lerato: Greeting Bongo. Thank you for this platform, very innovative concept.
With the sudden turn of events and the Pandemic hitting us back in March 2019 we had no choice as artists to become futuristic in our approach to how we approach our art form. At the time I had my own Dance Academy and was facilitating dance workshops at Soweto Theatre a d working with William Kentridge as one of the art facilitators for his production “The Head and The Load” all of that came to a crashing halt as if overnight with the announcement of a National Lockdown due to the covid-19 pandemic. I then had to take my Dance Academy online and offer virtual dance classes which came with its own challenge’s.
When I think about what a Futuristic artist is, it makes me think of “Back to the Future” whereby we are teleported to world’s beyond our existing reality. That time has come where we will no longer be able to have physical access to the arts but will have to be teleported to such a space such as a theatre or a dance class through some kind of device, be they a 3D headset, laptop or tablet.
So in this regard I see myself as a futuristic.
2. What is New Media in your own terms?
Lerato: I am not too familiar with the term New Media. Are you talking about Social media?
Bongo: Virtual Reality
Lerato: As I see it Media is a form of communication and new media uses social platforms such as twitter to get there point across using #Black Lives Matters and various campaigns that are able to spread to a wider universal audience also through Facebook as people in today’s age are on their phones much more frequently than they would perhaps ever if at all read a newspaper or listen to the radio which I suppose you would call “old Media” so that is my take on the term “New Media”
3. Do you work with New Media as an art form?
Lerato: Could you reword your question as I am still not clear as to what you mean by New Media?
Bongo: Virtual Reality Art is labelled as New Media but so as any other contemporary form of medium, such as video, photography or as you mentioned social platforms… Have you used any of them as a medium for your Artworks?
Lerato: I am the Creative director of a multi-media dance company called Amandla Dance company we have. Facebook page as well as an Instagram, combining multiple disciplines such as photography, video and visual art to appeal to a broad range of theatre enthusiast’s.
4. Do you consider cultural heritage as a progressive theme?
Lerato: Absolutely we are constantly evolving as a people and culture is changing with the times our cultural heritage dates back to prehistoric times however it must be relative to the the times of today, we cannot know who we are, if we don’t look back at where we are from. So yes it is a progressive theme like life it is moving in a cycle.
5. In terms of Dance and Performance do you feel cultural heritage is well represented by the art industry?
Lerato: I feel as though it is under represented in my view the arts takes a one dimensional look at cultural heritage and much more can be explored in this regard. For example if somebody from Switzerland for example was to be asked what is the cultural heritage of South Africa, hands down they would make a Zulu reference as this has been heavily presented through the arts around the world
6. Do you have any past, present or work in progress of a cultural theme?
Lerato: The most recent work I did was a collaboration with Belhe ethnic art gallery entitled “Tribal quest” where I was asked to explore my own culture & heritage. I am of Tswana origins from my father’s side, however I was born and raised in the UK with and raised in a British Culture.
In this piece I interpreted the traditional Tswana dances into a contemporary dance style incorporating classical ballet, modern and poses which one would relate to Vinyasa yoga.
7. Do you find any challenges transforming your Art discipline into the digital age?
Lerato: Making the shift traditional ways of creating art to digital means that we are more dependent upon external factors such as WiFi, good HD cameras and/or High-tech phones and laptop’s in order to create visually appealing content that sets the competition apart so as to get a following on YouTube or Instagram. If my photography is not of outstanding quality it will not get as many likes on Facebook or as many followers on Instagram, and although my choreography may have heavy relevant content that might appeal to the traditional theatre goer, today my video on YouTube will not get so many views if I have not been able to use the latest editing suite or incorporated an immersive virtual reality aspect to my work that uses special enhanced effects. People of today within the digital age are very visual and are stimulated by what they see. So my greatest challenge is self funding the projects I do and being on top with the latest equipment that costs money. It costs a lot more in today’s world to produce art using New Media as compared to the times when all we needed as a dance artist was our body and mind.
8. Where did you study Art?
Lerato: I studied the arts at the conservatoire of Dance and Drama known as London Contemporary Dance school, The Place in the UK
9. Any extra thoughts?
Lerato: A paradigm is a mental program that has almost exclusive control over our habitual behaviour, almost all of our behaviour is habitual, simply put we as artists need to adopt new paradigms if we are to keep up with the times and the arts is a way of life, life imitates art, so let the arts be supported by supporting the artist, and keep the arts alive by adopting new habitual behaviours even if they are virtual.
Bongo: Life imitates Art! Thank you very much for your time.
Lerato: You’re most welcome. Thank you
🙏🏽
IG: bongo_mei
Badabeam Badaboom: Iconoclastic Protests
Belhe Museum_ …from a curatorial perspective, I see a lot of popular logos on your work, What is the intention, if you may allow my inquiry?
Badabeam_ thanks for asking. I was reading Basquiat’s images, and he said to me I’m working with diagrams. Suddenly a pin dropped, because I had been given a hack into his thinking. Consumerism is a huge part of his subject , celebrating his Black heroes etc. But I was inspired for this project with the way he used semeiotics to illuminate his work in a clout of unfamiliarity. That’s the key element in this project iconoclastic protests. He steals, like his predecessors. I essentially work with the same virtual space , capitalism, consumerism and the plight of COVID imperialism…
Belhe Museum_ … are you taking out the sobriety and complex layering of a still picture with the simplicity of common signage? I guess from my perception as a purist and a follower of your work both literary and visually, I find a sort of obvious message, a kind of shout, that is purposefully exposed, with the sudden throw of common/popular signage, quite conspicuously your understanding of design is naturally overlaid, creatively suggesting a transformation or morphing of the common object with the concept of High Art. It is almost as if you are creating a perceptual shift of peasantry, transforming it into contemporary elegance. You have quite a refined and sophisticated skill of layering your visual syllables and words, as you do with literature, hence I find that maybe your reference to Basquiat with your explanation is introducing the simple Art enthusiast into a higher level or as I mentioned before, to a contemporary perceptual shift? I would like to ask, as with some distinguished Artists, do you find a situation, where the space of solitude/creation becomes too informative and advanced that you have to use certain “symbols” to relay messages to the somewhat disadvantaged/backward audience?
Instagram: @bongo_mei
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