https://incca.org.za INCCA Wed, 25 Jun 2025 10:22:23 +0000 https://incca.org.za en https://incca.org.za/home Fri, 27 Dec 2019 09:49:00 +0000 INCCA https://incca.org.za/home https://incca.org.za/projects-1 Mon, 18 Mar 2024 11:14:09 +0000 INCCA https://incca.org.za/projects-1 We are an organisation dedicated to addressing some of the many gaps that exist in the art industry in South Africa. We realise independent exhibition projects whenever possible, wherever possible, online and offline. We also write and manage research projects related to the creative sector, and are especially interested in those aimed at attaining greater inclusion. We’re based in Johannesburg, but our projects are nomadic, and we work collaboratively wherever we can. Explore some of our recent initiatives below.&nbsp; https://incca.org.za/read Wed, 01 Mar 2023 07:23:25 +0000 INCCA https://incca.org.za/read Read interview-based features and other editorial here. These are focussed on artists we’ve worked with and/or are self-managing in what we think are impressive ways, as well as global entities that generate networks, important resources, offer or collate opportunities for independent creatives. To keep updated, subscribe here. Please email info@incca.org.za&nbsp;with any suggestions. https://incca.org.za/about Wed, 16 Oct 2019 16:05:09 +0000 INCCA https://incca.org.za/about <img width="2967" height="3338" width_o="2967" height_o="3338" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/35d51c8aba92f3ba152c7b22b4b67144d1a4ad294310c51b55f885d036afac3f/LOST_LOVER_view2_Oparah.jpg" data-mid="79883130" border="0" data-no-zoom src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/35d51c8aba92f3ba152c7b22b4b67144d1a4ad294310c51b55f885d036afac3f/LOST_LOVER_view2_Oparah.jpg" /> INCCA (Independent Network for Contemporary Culture &amp; Art) is a non-profit company that realises and manages exhibition and research projects and aims to create new platforms for visual artists, collectives, curators and other cultural practitioners. In our exhibition projects, we are almost exclusively dedicated to supporting women-identifying creatives, which is evident from our project history. We will continue on this trajectory until we witness an art industry that is definitively more balanced. We work collaboratively, with each project striving to create an independent network and seek out spaces and formats for the realisation of new ideas. Core elements of our mission are mentorship and partnership – we aim to generate new opportunities for the exchange of knowledge and skills in the cultural sector. We’re based in South Africa, but our network stretches far and wide, and grows with every project. info@incca.org.za ︎ Directors: Londi Modiko Lara Koseff Non-executive director: Nthabiseng Mokoena Selected projects and texts by INCCA co-founders: https://incca.org.za/Care-and-Creative-Practice-A-Survey-of-Artist-Parents Wed, 25 Jun 2025 10:22:23 +0000 INCCA https://incca.org.za/Care-and-Creative-Practice-A-Survey-of-Artist-Parents <img width="1935" height="1489" width_o="1935" height_o="1489" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9fb7490c1cddb69c1db87cfe7157e8a0ecf153732cdbe860ab255e2f2a89068a/Care---Creative-Practice-in-South-Africa_V2.jpg" data-mid="235052899" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/9fb7490c1cddb69c1db87cfe7157e8a0ecf153732cdbe860ab255e2f2a89068a/Care---Creative-Practice-in-South-Africa_V2.jpg" /> Survey&nbsp;︎︎︎ Care and Creative Practice A Survey of Artist-Parents resulting from the project Art After Baby, supported by the National Arts Council South Africa (NAC) Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme (PESP 4 and 5). In our research via INCCA’s&nbsp;Art After Baby project, we have found the challenges faced by artist-parents in South Africa to be unsurprising based on international data. Yet we have also broadly assessed that these issues form a microcosm of deeper structural problems within the visual arts industry in this country. Artist-parents’ exclusion from mainstream platforms, residencies, exhibitions, and funding opportunities reflects a system built around assumptions of constant availability, financial independence, and individual mobility – conditions that favour not only those without caregiving responsibilities, but also more often than not, those with inherited privilege. In late 2024, a survey of a small group of artist-caregivers revealed notable patterns clearly: over half had missed opportunities because of parenting, nearly all reported financial strain, and formal support was rare. Yet these responses also offered a vision for change – from child-friendly residencies to funding models that recognise artistic labour, and how caregiving forms a part of this. By listening to artist-parents, we are not only addressing a marginalised group – we are advocating for a more inclusive and sustainable creative sector across the board. Artist-Parents as a Microcosm of Structural Inequality in the Art World&nbsp; The conditions faced by artist-parents in South Africa offer a concentrated lens through which to examine broader inequalities embedded in the creative economy. In many ways, the exclusion, precarity, and structural disregard that artist-parents experience are not exceptional – but rather emblematic. They act as a microcosm or synecdoche, standing in for larger dynamics of artistic labour, inequitable access, and addressing the persistence of inherited privilege in the arts. This imbalance exists globally, but it is exacerbated here by South Africa’s standing as one of the most unequal societies in the world.&nbsp; &nbsp; Artist-parents are often expected to participate in a system that does not account for their time, needs, or responsibilities. They are rarely compensated for the full scope of their labour, particularly the invisible and emotional work that caregiving demands. Opportunities are frequently designed around assumptions of total availability: late-night installations, weekend openings, last-minute residencies. When travel is involved, it typically requires separation from family – a barrier many cannot afford, emotionally or financially. Although more vulnerable – with many unable to participate at all – these pressures are not unique to caregivers alone. They reflect a broader culture within the art world that prioritises flexibility, availability, and self-sufficiency – qualities that often presuppose inherited or accumulated wealth, or at least the absence of dependents. In the South African context, these expectations disproportionately marginalise those who do not come from wealth, and more often than not, those who are not white. Thus, while the challenges faced by artist-parents may seem specific, they mirror structural problems that affect a much wider group. Addressing their needs – through funding models, inclusive residency formats, and family-friendly policies – offers an opportunity to push for systemic change that benefits a broader population of precarious cultural workers. Findings from the Survey – Lived Realities of Artist-Parents In November 2024, a survey was conducted with a small group of artist-parents or caregivers based in South Africa to better understand how caregiving responsibilities intersect with their artistic practices. Their responses provide not only evidence of exclusion but clear insights into the systemic conditions that reproduce inequality in the creative sector. 1. Exclusion from Opportunities When asked if they had ever been excluded from an opportunity due to being a parent, 60% of respondents said yes, while others noted “maybe” – a reflection of how difficult it is to name these exclusions when they are deeply normalised.“I was asked to exhibit at a well-known trade event… but I was 2 months postpartum and suffering from severe PPD. I thanked them and said I’d love to participate the next year. I never heard back.” Even where direct exclusion was not cited, artists reported being passed over, doubted, or assumed to be unavailable.“Sometimes people wait to place orders because they think you're too busy being a parent.” “I was asked to exhibit at a well-known trade event… but I was 2 months postpartum and suffering from severe PPD. I thanked them and said I’d love to participate the next year. I never heard back.” “You’re expected to travel without your family, to be on-site in evenings, weekends, or with no lead time.” 2. Inflexible Structures A common frustration among respondents was the rigidity of residencies, exhibitions, and deadlines – often designed for artists assumed to be mobile, child-free, and available at short notice. “Residencies don't cater for family needs – including no funding for child care.” “You’re expected to travel without your family, to be on-site in evenings, weekends, or with no lead time.”“I was offered an opportunity to exhibit with less than 24 hours' notice, and couldn’t take it because I had no one to look after my child.” Several participants noted that even when opportunities arose, they could not accept them due to caregiving responsibilities or lack of financial support for logistics like transport, printing, or accommodation. 3. Financial and Emotional Toll Nearly all respondents identified financial precarity as a key barrier, intensified by having to choose between the cost of artistic production and caregiving. “I couldn’t afford to frame my work and had to pay my daughter’s fees… so I was cancelled out.” “My only income comes from my art, and I have to choose between printing costs or school fees.” Others described how the psychological burden of navigating parenthood in an unsupported industry led to burnout, self-censorship, or opting out entirely. “Being a caregiver comes with a lot of pressure… the money doesn’t cover essentials, and no one factors that into the fees we get paid.” 4. A Call for Structural Change Respondents didn’t simply point to problems – they proposed actionable solutions: Family-friendly residencies (onsite childcare or flexible attendance) Childcare support as part of fees or grants Recognition of caregiving alongside artistic labour in funding and evaluation Peer support networks for parent-artists Funding mechanisms that separate material and caregiving costs These align closely with the structural reforms advocated by critic and campaigner Hettie Judah in How Not to Exclude Artist Mothers (and Other Parents) (2022). Judah documents models from international contexts – from studio complexes with creches and family-inclusive residencies to galleries with formal family-friendly policies. She stresses the importance of: Including caregiving costs in budgets – “If you can’t count childcare as a work expense… that is misogynistic legislation” Normalising declarations of need – encouraging application forms to ask explicitly about care support, rather than hiding it. Institutional infrastructure – studios with onsite childcare, residencies designed for parents, and family-friendly event schedules. Creating networks – such as the Artist Parenting Alliance and Artist Working Parents Alliance – for peer mentoring, advocacy, and shared models.&nbsp; In the South African context, these are not abstract ideas. They point to practical policies that arts institutions, funders, and residency programs can implement now: Revise grant and residency application forms to include line-items for caregiving and childcare costs. Adapt scheduling to allow daytime-only or child-inclusive events. Partner with childcare providers or provide stipends so parents can participate fully. Support peer networks of artist-parents within local arts ecologies, inspired by Judah’s UK/US models. 5. Inclusion is Uneven and Conditional When asked how often they felt included in the art world, most artist-parents responded “never” or “sometimes.” Very few cited consistent inclusion. Those who did experience support noted that it came through informal channels – other women artists, patient collaborators, or sympathetic curators – rather than through systems or institutions designed to accommodate their needs. This unevenness underscores how inclusion is still largely conditional: dependent on personal relationships, geographic proximity, or chance alignment with sympathetic peers. Formal structures – from residencies to exhibitions and funding – often remain inflexible or inaccessible for those with caregiving responsibilities. As organisers, we recognise that our own efforts have also been constrained. While we have strived to compensate artists for their labour, provide mentorship, and build care into our approach, there have always been limitations – especially in terms of what we can offer financially to those based outside our immediate region. These constraints reflect broader funding inequities in the sector, and they remain a challenge we are actively working to address. Our hope is that by naming these gaps, we can keep working toward more equitable and inclusive structures – both within our own initiatives and across the wider arts ecosystem. “I have benefited not because I’m a caregiver, but in spite of it.” Why Artist-Mothers Bear the Brunt While caregiving responsibilities affect all parents, the burden falls disproportionately on women – a reflection of broader gender inequality in South Africa’s labour market. Women continue to experience lower employment rates, greater financial precarity, and less access to formal work than men. As of 2023, only 69.4% of working-age women in South Africa were active in the labour force compared to 80% of men, and unemployment among women remains consistently higher. Within South Africa, these dynamics are intensified by family structures where women overwhelmingly carry the responsibility for child-rearing, often alone. According to the 2024 General Household Survey, 45.5% of children live with only their mothers, and fewer than one-third (31.4%) live with both biological parents,&nbsp; underscoring how commonplace single motherhood is in South Africa.* For artist-mothers, these systemic pressures compound – the lack of subsidised childcare, inflexible opportunities, and expectations of constant availability often force them to opt out entirely. This reflects not only gendered exclusion in the creative economy but the broader economic reality that women’s labour – particularly when it involves care – is still undervalued and unsupported. *This is in contrast to single fathers, who are not mentioned in the survey, with 19% of children living with neither of their biological parents and about one-eighth of children (12.3%) orphaned, having lost one or both parents &nbsp; Conclusion These stories reveal a system that rewards unconditional availability and punishes the need for flexibility. In addition, it very rarely acknowledges the need to compensate artists for their labour. Artist-parents face a compounded form of exclusion – one rooted in gender, class, and the legacy of who has historically had the means to participate fully in cultural production. Their experiences highlight a lingering and dire need for transformation in the creative sector if it is to become truly inclusive.&nbsp; This takes us back to the research and work of Hettie&nbsp;Judah, who heavily influenced this project. Ultimately, Judah suggests that what the art industry risks by not taking intersectional contexts into consideration is remaining more homogeneous, precluding “participation by all but the wealthy and carefree”. <img width="2067" height="443" width_o="2067" height_o="443" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b0959a85090c7fc86e1ad849d4a5fa04ad059e3a8a0d94517b998c9e1c09d416/logos.jpg" data-mid="235215600" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/b0959a85090c7fc86e1ad849d4a5fa04ad059e3a8a0d94517b998c9e1c09d416/logos.jpg" /> https://incca.org.za/Art-After-Baby Mon, 07 Aug 2023 12:38:30 +0000 INCCA https://incca.org.za/Art-After-Baby <img width="2550" height="1982" width_o="2550" height_o="1982" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/63e613a1b08fdb20954afba78f6db639e391bb58aea00f2fff6f3b5119279aac/AAB.jpg" data-mid="235215680" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/63e613a1b08fdb20954afba78f6db639e391bb58aea00f2fff6f3b5119279aac/AAB.jpg" /> Open call project ︎ Art After Baby Siviwe James Ubuhle Ngaphaya Kwameva 2-26 February 2025 Victoria Yards, Lorentzville, JohannesburgPhumelele Kunene In My Element 2-29 March 2025 Victoria Yards, Lorentzville, JohannesburgDitiro Mashigo&nbsp; 7.7.7.7 / X9 / ‘Ma Zith iingqondo zethu, / Zimbonge uYehova; / Kuba iinceba zakhe, / Zimi ngonaphakade 2-30 November 2023 Keyes Art Mile, Johannesburg&nbsp; Naledi Chai inzalo2-30 November 2023Keyes Art Mile, Johannesburg Art After Baby is a collaborative project, supported by the National Arts Council South Africa (NAC) Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme (PESP 4 and 5). Art After Baby is a project by INCCA supporting artists who are mothers, parents, and/or have been impacted by any associated loss. The project was first launched in 2023 via an open call, inviting visual artists juggling art-making with care-giving and/or impacted by loss. The successful candidates each received a living wage for two months, to spend as they please, as well as an artist fee to participate in a selling two-person exhibition of their work at Keyes Art Mile in Johannesburg in November 2023. In 2025, INCCA realised the second edition of the project at Victoria Yards in Johannesburg, this time, in addition to financial support, mentoring each artist through the process of producing solo exhibitions. Both editions of Art After Baby were supported by the National Arts Council South Africa (NAC) Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme (PESP 4 and 5).The overall aim of AAB is to confront a somewhat taboo subject, to find pathways for the accepted applicants to participate in an industry often still dominated by men and/or privilege, and to explore how art-making itself can be a cathartic salve for the many challenges of motherhood, and/or trauma and loss. We hope to establish routes&nbsp; for others in similar positions. Through AAB we hope to establish routes and approaches for others in similar positions. We also hope to underscore how art-making and parenting can co-exist under the right circumstances and can allow for an important and cathartic synergy. This project is heavily influenced by the research and work of British writer Hettie Judah, who interviewed around 60 artist mothers about their experiences in 2021, resulting in a manifesto, and ultimately a book titled How Not to Exclude Artist Mothers (and other parents). It presents a solutions-based approach on the subject, looking at benchmarks all over the world. Ultimately, Judah suggests that what the art industry risks by not taking intersectional contexts into consideration is remaining more homogeneous, precluding “participation by all but the wealthy and carefree”. In 2023, the two selected artists were Ditiro Mashigo and Naledi Chai. Writers Christa Dee and Nkosazana Hlalethwa were commissioned to write about each artist respectively. In addition, we invited artist and academic Dee Marco to conduct one of the workshops and subsequently presented Marco’s project The House of Complaints within the space. The exhibitions were produced and organised by INCCA co-founders Londi Modiko, Lara Koseff and Nthabiseng Mokoena, with assistance from Nthabiseng Onthatile Mofokeng.In 2025, the two selected artists were Siviwe James and Phumelele Kunene. Artists Thulile Gamedze and Ditiro Mashigo were commissioned to write about each artist respectively. The exhibitions were produced and organised by INCCA co-founders Londi Modiko, Lara Koseff and Nthabiseng Mokoena, with assistance from Nthabiseng Onthatile Mofokeng. Explore all the associated projects and text below. https://incca.org.za/Overview-Study-for-the-Creative-Industries-Sector-in-Gauteng Tue, 08 Apr 2025 10:06:54 +0000 INCCA https://incca.org.za/Overview-Study-for-the-Creative-Industries-Sector-in-Gauteng <img width="2776" height="2032" width_o="2776" height_o="2032" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/3a758ec9f8ecfcb4b1d5d15d3e7db2f31bccb2f861bec37f10790737aa3cbc1a/Screenshot-2025-09-11-at-16.33.56.png" data-mid="238115024" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/3a758ec9f8ecfcb4b1d5d15d3e7db2f31bccb2f861bec37f10790737aa3cbc1a/Screenshot-2025-09-11-at-16.33.56.png" /> Overview Study for the Creative Industries Sector in Gauteng Presented by Independent Network for Contemporary Culture &amp; Art (INCCA) Contributions by Sarah de Villiers Lara Koseff Londi Modiko Nape Senong Commissioned by the Inclusive Economies Research Programme (IERP), a strategic collaboration between the Gauteng City-Region Observatory (GCRO) and the Gauteng Department of Economic Development (GDED). View a map created as part of the project here. Throughout 2024, INCCA conducted research for the Inclusive Economies Research Programme (IERP), a strategic collaboration between the Gauteng City-Region Observatory (GCRO) and the Gauteng Department of Economic Development (GDED). As part of the programme, extensive research was carried out on six critical sectors: Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and digital services, agro-processing, tourism, creative industries, freight and logistics, and the automotive sector. These studies aimed to assess the current landscape, identify challenges, and explore opportunities within each sector to inform policy and program development. In our research, we assessed the state of Gauteng Province’s creative industries sector, which is one of the priority sectors that is noted within a range of government publications due to its remarkable potential to contribute to the economy, community development and urban regeneration. What is classified broadly as the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs) has been noted by the South African Cultural Observatory (SACO) as being equivalent to agriculture in its representation within South Africa’s total economic production. This study honed in on the commercial, for-profit, creative industries sector, as described by UNESCO (2009) as well as the inevitable overlaps with the traditionally recognised cultural occupations and industries. Through studying existing data and government publications, our research provides a detailed market analysis, employment and skills profile and technological landscape, defining sector specifics and relevant sub-sectors and analysing policies, regulations and frameworks. Much of the research conducted here indicates that the reach and importance of the creative industries sector is vast and extensively embedded within the broader economy, even if sometimes not directly acknowledged — and contributes to enormous symbolic and economic value that the Gauteng Province is and can further invest into. In addition, through qualitative research in the form of interviews with over 20 stakeholders and informants, our research provides insight into various viewpoints from those working and invested in the CCIs in Gauteng Province in numerous capacities. The stakeholders work within, across and specialise in various domains and sub-sectors in the CCIs including audio-visual and interactive media (film, animation, VFX, gaming, VR and AR); visual arts (fine arts and photography); craft; design (fashion and graphic design); books; performance (music and performing arts); culture and natural heritage, architecture and urban development, as well as Government employees in various departments and professionals that cover various or more than one domain, sector or sub-sector. https://incca.org.za/Phumelele-Kunene-In-My-Element Thu, 20 Mar 2025 07:40:33 +0000 INCCA https://incca.org.za/Phumelele-Kunene-In-My-Element <img width="7596" height="5063" width_o="7596" height_o="5063" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/cbd73f131e480c8452c164a7ae8bf7e564156c489bb22f9cbcab676a5d60a0e1/AP_250304_006.jpg" data-mid="228532229" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/cbd73f131e480c8452c164a7ae8bf7e564156c489bb22f9cbcab676a5d60a0e1/AP_250304_006.jpg" /> <img width="7628" height="5086" width_o="7628" height_o="5086" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5e076cc4f57a427241b01ac1c6b525eca67fad35e668ad2da9e08eb4c6c9fb88/AP_250304_005.jpg" data-mid="228532231" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/5e076cc4f57a427241b01ac1c6b525eca67fad35e668ad2da9e08eb4c6c9fb88/AP_250304_005.jpg" /> <img width="6912" height="4564" width_o="6912" height_o="4564" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/42cae053fc3fb298f70fb3d0850a445c1f15aa1178ee1158626cf924c6fb53fe/AP_250304_004.jpg" data-mid="228532227" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/42cae053fc3fb298f70fb3d0850a445c1f15aa1178ee1158626cf924c6fb53fe/AP_250304_004.jpg" /> <img width="5478" height="4037" width_o="5478" height_o="4037" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/929afd0f65abb22a51ee3fbfa03900513b569ede74a212fa08b68df7fb90b591/AP_250304_010_2.jpg" data-mid="228532236" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/929afd0f65abb22a51ee3fbfa03900513b569ede74a212fa08b68df7fb90b591/AP_250304_010_2.jpg" /> Image credits: © Anthea Pokroy Phumele KuneneIn My Element INCCA project space, Victoria Yards, Johannesburg 2-29 March 2025 Presented by INCCA (Independent Network for Contemporary Culture &amp; Art) Supported by&nbsp;National Arts Council South Africa (NAC) Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme (PESP 5).&nbsp; Phumelele Kunene presents her series In My Element, a deeply personal photographic essay capturing her late mother’s belongings. Forming part of INCCA’s Art After Baby initiative, each piece is a moving still-life infused with memories of a life lived and lost. “These images are more than mementos; they are portraits of her spirit,” Kunene explains, “tangible expressions of my longing and attachment. The imagery reflects my desire to preserve her essence, a collection of souvenirs from our shared experiences and the life we built together.” In her application to participate in Art After Baby, Kunene reflected on the intersection of care-giving and loss in her life, and how this has shaped her as an artist. “I have personally experienced how both loss and care-giving can profoundly impact the time and mental space needed for art-making. After losing my mother, I found myself navigating the deep emotional void her absence left. Shortly after, I became a mother to my son, embracing the joys and challenges of care-giving while still processing my grief. These experiences have shaped my journey as an artist, influencing the themes I explore and my creative process.”Lesego Chepape featured Phumelele Kunene’s solo exhibition in the Friday section of the&nbsp;Mail &amp; Guardian writing “Kunene’s In My Element is not just an exhibition; it’s an invitation to experience the raw complexity of grief, memory and healing”. Chepape also describes INCCA’s Art After Baby as a “timely, pioneering programme… designed to address the structural barriers faced by artists, particularly women.” Read “Be patient with yourself. Phumelele Kunene in conversation with Ditiro Mashigo”, a text commisioned as part of INCCA’s AAB here. https://incca.org.za/Siviwe-James-Ubuhle-Ngaphaya-Kwameva Mon, 17 Mar 2025 10:34:52 +0000 INCCA https://incca.org.za/Siviwe-James-Ubuhle-Ngaphaya-Kwameva <img width="7471" height="4981" width_o="7471" height_o="4981" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/0cce41a2293e0d5d8d4086e14417cabb16c5a89f87decfcf74b0eefe459d73c1/AP_250210_004.jpg" data-mid="228343771" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/0cce41a2293e0d5d8d4086e14417cabb16c5a89f87decfcf74b0eefe459d73c1/AP_250210_004.jpg" /> <img width="7819" height="5213" width_o="7819" height_o="5213" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/591d21f4c29e4d9bafad71cd803db3b87787f193d3bae01e916989c3c9b87584/AP_250210_006.jpg" data-mid="228343742" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/591d21f4c29e4d9bafad71cd803db3b87787f193d3bae01e916989c3c9b87584/AP_250210_006.jpg" /> <img width="5407" height="4038" width_o="5407" height_o="4038" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d6350efc7843e3aeec6c9ab403f9df777463de5c31a7a1568cf40c692dbd1e87/AP_250210_013.jpg" data-mid="228344592" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/d6350efc7843e3aeec6c9ab403f9df777463de5c31a7a1568cf40c692dbd1e87/AP_250210_013.jpg" /> <img width="8190" height="5460" width_o="8190" height_o="5460" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/270f22c118f0d86b8e4c76d14ae3522193ec4cca1a6a9722df588ffd125b60cf/AP_250210_003.jpg" data-mid="228343816" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/270f22c118f0d86b8e4c76d14ae3522193ec4cca1a6a9722df588ffd125b60cf/AP_250210_003.jpg" /> <img width="6851" height="4568" width_o="6851" height_o="4568" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/776ebcdaa07b8fabc7c1d96dd786be6e118b2e28f070b7a43fb80e734e0b35d9/AP_250210_005.jpg" data-mid="228343806" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/776ebcdaa07b8fabc7c1d96dd786be6e118b2e28f070b7a43fb80e734e0b35d9/AP_250210_005.jpg" /> Image credits: © Anthea Pokroy Siviwe James Ubuhle Ngaphaya Kwameva INCCA project space, Victoria Yards, Johannesburg 2-26 February 2025 Presented by INCCA (Independent Network for Contemporary Culture &amp; Art)Supported by&nbsp;National Arts Council South Africa (NAC) Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme (PESP 5).&nbsp; In her debut solo exhibition titled Ubuhle Ngaphaya Kwameva, Siviwe James presented a body of work that explores the act of producing ‘new’ memories from archived events of the past.&nbsp;By using her personal archive, James mashes visuals to create new landscapes of remembering. Taking the form of a series of digital collages and video work, she explains, “personal acts of recollection are forms of collective remembrance and storytelling by way of social reproduction for unsolicited exhibition on social media.” Now, for the first time, these works were printed and presented as a physical body of work exploring how in this context “the public sphere exists and facilitates personal and collective memory, performances and reviews pivoting between recovering from trauma and reasserting claims to particular futures.” This exhibition forms part of INCCA’s Art After Baby (AAB) initiative. In her application to participate in the project, James lamented the lack of guidance she felt navigating tragedy, while simultaneously embracing the possibilities that come with uncertainty. “After returning home in 2020 as a 30-year-old widow with a 2-year-old, I couldn’t quite grasp what happens here. There was no manual on what it looks like to build up from that point. There were many ends to this place I was in and the one that seemed to pull at me the most was that maybe I could try at some of the unfulfilled dreams I had pushed to the side while I was wrapped in marriage and being a life-maker for others.”AAB is an ongoing project initiated by INCCA in 2023 that supports those who are trying to juggle art-making with motherhood, care-giving or have been impacted by loss. This is one of the few projects in South Africa that acknowledges that artists are often “zero-hour workers” with a sporadic and unreliable income, and that many women carry the responsibility of being primary caregivers without the financial cushion to continue their practice. AAB was supported by the National Arts Council South Africa (NAC) Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme (PESP 5, PESP4) in 2025 and 2023. Read “When home creates time. A conversation between Siviwe James and Thulile Gamedze”, a text commisioned as part of INCCA’s AAB here https://incca.org.za/Q-A-Be-patient-with-yourself-Phumelele-Kunene-in-conversation-with Mon, 03 Mar 2025 10:46:33 +0000 INCCA https://incca.org.za/Q-A-Be-patient-with-yourself-Phumelele-Kunene-in-conversation-with Q&amp;A ︎︎︎ Be patient with yourself. Phumelele Kunene in conversation with Ditiro Mashigo Phumelele Kunene ︎ ︎︎︎ ︎Ditiro Mashigo︎ ︎︎︎ ︎ In early 2025, Phumelele Kunene met with fellow artist Ditiro Mashigo to discuss the former’s body of work and exhibition In My Element at Victoria Yards. Photographed using film photography back in 2017, this deeply personal photographic essay captures Phumelele’s late mother’s belongings. In a highly empathetic conversation, the two artists delve into the origin story of this moving body of work, as well as Phumelele’s intertwined trajectory as a photographer and a mother who lost her own at the age of 19. Below is a condensed and edited version of their conversation. &nbsp; &nbsp; <img width="2100" height="1500" width_o="2100" height_o="1500" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/64e1061f55980ddad5c6dc7ed9de6729610ba23af0b8874d430d5d8a4d0f17e9/Phumelele_Ditiro.jpg" data-mid="227509175" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/64e1061f55980ddad5c6dc7ed9de6729610ba23af0b8874d430d5d8a4d0f17e9/Phumelele_Ditiro.jpg" /> Ditiro Mashigo (DM): How did your early experience with your mother's appreciation for art shape your creative journey? Phumelele Kunene (PK):&nbsp; When I was young – I think this was in primary school – my mother always loved collecting my drawings and paintings. She would frame them and then hang them up on the wall in the house. She wasn't just encouraging my academics, but also my artistic nature. Now whenever I have exhibitions, I draw back to her doing that around the house. It felt like she was showing me what my future would be. So I think that memory is very significant to my reason for walking this artistic journey and just sticking it through, regardless of the financial constraints, because it's really something that I love. DM: That's so beautiful. Because you had art very much at your fingertips from a very young age, how did it evolve from these naive drawings and paintings to the photography medium? PK: The drawings and the paintings – I did those mostly in primary school. But over time I think the academic side of school kind of killed my artistic expression because I wasn't really doing art at school as a subject. It was something that I'd do in my free time. And the older I grew, the less free time I got... But then my mother bought me a phone – I think late high school – and it had a camera. Of course, I used to have fun with it, but I would take photographs. I would take portraits of other people. I would take abstract photography. And then I'd post it on my Facebook, and get reactions from people who would like my photographs. I think the more I did it, the more I liked it. When I was very young, my mother got me a [film camera] … that made me love photography in a way, that little camera. Then when I had my cell phone, I just got deeper into it by making my own photographs. And then after that, when I was done with high school, I think the love and the curiosity for photography grew more. And because my mother had already encouraged me to be drawn towards the things that I love the most... I decided to study photography. DM: I want to touch on this technology phenomenon and how we all learned a thing or two about ourselves through posting on [social media]. Is that how you would start telling stories, was the photographic medium how you really started to evolve in your ability to curate and build? PK: For me, it was just a thing that I did for fun. But I think the more I looked into it, I would have a whole creative process in taking those pictures. So if it was portraits of myself – it was a time where I was into dark stuff, wearing black and everything. You know, the dark nails. I loved rock music... So when I’d take photographs of myself – I really wouldn't dress up like that in public, but I'd do it at home, and then I'd take pictures. And with the reactions that I got when I posted them on Facebook, I [realised] other people also appreciated the artistic process of it. I found that actually being authentic, you'll get people that won't understand it, but also you'll get people that really resonate and understand you through what you express about yourself. DM: This love affair you had with your gothic side… from there, did you become something else? Has your identity then shaped in different forms? PK: I think it's really stayed the same. It's just a bit more mature now, because when you look at my dark side and you look at my work as a whole, you'll see that there's a thread and there's a sense of darkness in them. Sometimes when the images are bright, then the shadows bring in the darkness of it. So I think I'm always playing, or maybe the story in itself is some sort of darkness that I'm exposing about myself. It's still a part of me. I'm still dressing in black, but I guess now that I'm a mom… it's a little bit more toned down, but I think it's still there. I still celebrate it. And you look at my abstract work, you can tell that there's a lot of that darkness in me and that I celebrate it a lot. And it's also in my femininity. I think a lot of my dark feminineness is what's more dominant in my personality. It will remain there forever because it's just a part of me. Somehow we all are living the same lives, but they just play out differently. DM: It now ties in for me as a greater picture as to how Memento Mori – your interpretation of it is so beautiful, I would say even delicate. I've seen other renditions of the same subject matter, but with yours, you want to sit with it. It's a story of peace and life and the celebration of one's absence and presence, but your ability to capture light and, like you say, light and the dark and the shades in between make your images so very captivating. So, how have you balanced your personal interpretation of your subject matter being life and the celebration of your mom and the elements that make up what you remember of her, and the beauty of the celebrated life and then also the universal story of death or life building up to this particular body of work? PK: I think for me, I do mostly more digging into myself. And I think when I do that, authentically and honestly, I find that the work just naturally becomes relatable in a universal way. Because whatever I'm going through, some people have gone through the same thing and then it just easily makes them relate to the work and the feelings that I'm trying to invoke when I'm creating the work. So I think for me, what I do on my side is to just do a lot of self-awareness, a lot of self-development, a lot of self-reflection and a lot of pouring myself fully, honestly and vulnerably into my work. And I find that the more I do that selfishly, it makes the work relate to other people. Because, I think somehow we all are the same and we all are living the same lives, but they just play out differently. But there's a common theme and I think the more I express that within myself, the work just becomes relatable universally. DM: I absolutely stand with that. And I find that to be so beautiful because it does translate. As I was looking at the images again, you take a first glance and they're beautiful, but then when you take a longer glare and start to place yourself within the work, you start to see that this is a very honest body of work. And I think you've achieved that beautifully. My next question is kind of more on a technical aspect. Could you share your technical process when capturing the essence of these particular mementos belonging to your mom? PK: I think the first step is more emotional than technical. The work in itself took me maybe seven years to create just six photographs. Of course, I took more than that, but the strongest were these six because it took me some time. Because first of all, I have to get in that headspace emotionally, fully, emotionally, and understand what I'm trying to say with the work... So it required a lot of my mental space, which I found helped me to heal quite a lot because I really had to confront the issue and look at it, understand how it makes me feel and how I am just mentally and emotionally with regards to just taking out my mother's objects and going through the memories of what they represent. When you look at the hat, you look at the pearls, her scarf, her dress, taking those things out and sometimes crying because they bring me back to our story. I think that the first thing that I have to do when I'm creating the work, is to get into that emotional space. And then I think immediately when I do that, everything just flows. Regarding the technical part of it as well, if you look, I used a lot of soft and natural light to create a sense of intimacy. And I also played with shadows because the shadows represent the hidden parts of myself, the dark parts of myself. So I tried to take those emotions and figure out how I could balance them and make them speak with the technical part of the work and also the composition. You'll find that the items are arranged to tell a story. Their placement and how they mirrored my shared experiences with my mom as well, the closeness. They represent a sense of closeness and intimacy. [Also], I didn't do much photoshopping because that's also meant to signify the rawness of the work, you know? So, yeah, that's how I try to play around with the technical side and how it balances the emotional, because that's always what I'm trying to do with my work. <img width="512" height="768" width_o="512" height_o="768" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f39f74200234a7827ba38fcfd619ad43652ac244b4e91b4591b3bb566e944e3d/Phumelele-Kunene-01.jpg" data-mid="227509141" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/512/i/f39f74200234a7827ba38fcfd619ad43652ac244b4e91b4591b3bb566e944e3d/Phumelele-Kunene-01.jpg" /> I was very patient with myself because I understood that I'm not just creating work, but I'm having a whole life experience where I'm grieving at the same time, I'm healing at the same time, and I'm celebrating my mom at the same time. <img width="1244" height="829" width_o="1244" height_o="829" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5b46d86983bf7f1c55575a5b524b0619533e1e20b9593ae670ff785bc93afaef/Phumelele-Kunene-05.jpg" data-mid="227519900" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/5b46d86983bf7f1c55575a5b524b0619533e1e20b9593ae670ff785bc93afaef/Phumelele-Kunene-05.jpg" /> DM: And it absolutely translates – the image of the barrette and the chair without a stool. The lighting on that is eerie – the sense of absence is captured so beautifully in that moment. It’s that moment in the day where one would be sitting and looking outside. [It evokes] a memory, like that of your mom kind of sitting at the window and just looking outside and seeing people pass by. You've done a beautiful job as far as the storytelling and how the images move from one frame to the other, I definitely do see how the technical aspect really does balance well with the emotional aspect. And that's something that I think a lot of artists kind of grapple with. I find it refreshing also to see in your work that you've done that so intentionally and it's taking you so long. Seven years is a long time to meditate on a body of work. But what you've come up with – because you were also going through the process of grief, using the practice itself as a form of meditation and healing and reconnecting and recounting, that's truly just something that one does not miss in this body of work. PM: Yeah, I'm happy that you just get it. I love the way you're describing the work as well. So I think while you're saying that in terms of balancing the emotional side of it, I think that [relates to] the question on what advice I'd give to emerging artists looking to channel experiences in their creative work. I think it has a lot to do with patience – I was very patient with myself because I understood that I'm not just creating work, but I'm having a whole life experience where I'm grieving at the same time, I'm healing at the same time, and I'm celebrating my mom at the same time. So all of these things can get quite overwhelming. But I found that patience, being patient with myself, being patient with the art process itself, the creative process itself, is really what helped me navigate this project. And I find it's what made me be able to be vulnerable and be honest and authentic when creating the work. So I think not pressurising yourself to have things done at a certain time, but allowing life to walk you through it and being also very self aware. But mostly being patient with yourself is one of the greatest things you can do when putting a lot of personal experiences into your creative work or your art processes. Just having a lot of patience with yourself and understanding that it all takes time. And the more time you give yourself to allow things to just play out organically gives you much stronger, relatable work. DM: That's true, it does. It's ironic because we live in such a fast paced world where results are demanded of us constantly, every minute. And one wants to kind of bypass emotions and feelings just to get things done and then only after trying to contextualise, but not realising that because you did not have a full grasp of what you were really going through while you were creating. So the title In My Element, how did you actually come about it? Is it built on anything that you could share? PK: The word “element” in itself, it's meant to speak about an environment where someone is very comfortable in an environment that someone favours a lot. An environment where someone can be freely themselves in that environment. So these photographs were taken in the house that I grew up in with my mother. When I'm creating my project, I am in my natural environment, and I am in my element mentally, where I'm not just remembering her, but I'm also revisiting the memories that are very close to home. So I just found it fitting that the phrase “In My Element” would come to explain what was happening with me physically, and not just physically, but spiritually and mentally, that I'd have to get in my element to photograph the works. <img width="3168" height="4752" width_o="3168" height_o="4752" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/42e75fc02ae6813dca3ee4310a7b43e9b0764b49a9cedba593d650b9493abee8/In-My-Element-Phumelele-Kunene_2.JPG" data-mid="227520025" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/42e75fc02ae6813dca3ee4310a7b43e9b0764b49a9cedba593d650b9493abee8/In-My-Element-Phumelele-Kunene_2.JPG" /> <img width="5184" height="3456" width_o="5184" height_o="3456" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/761f912815a930ee63f3fab5e060677944c55479a9963b6fe586d18256c0cb8f/In-My-Element-Phumelele-Kunene_3.jpg" data-mid="227520023" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/761f912815a930ee63f3fab5e060677944c55479a9963b6fe586d18256c0cb8f/In-My-Element-Phumelele-Kunene_3.jpg" /> <img width="3168" height="4752" width_o="3168" height_o="4752" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/41a36e4edfe8c65c53c9ec0f736a52e0b181640381cc8e36f2c594b6149f86fe/In-My-Element-Phumelele-Kunene_5.JPG" data-mid="227520057" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/41a36e4edfe8c65c53c9ec0f736a52e0b181640381cc8e36f2c594b6149f86fe/In-My-Element-Phumelele-Kunene_5.JPG" /> <img width="3456" height="5184" width_o="3456" height_o="5184" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9ee44345cf8fba9ca375c5b490234e4017bf1300e4261febae539d15a7469d0e/In-My-Element-Phumelele-Kunene_6.jpg" data-mid="227520027" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/9ee44345cf8fba9ca375c5b490234e4017bf1300e4261febae539d15a7469d0e/In-My-Element-Phumelele-Kunene_6.jpg" /> DM: So this is all from home. Where is home? PK: This is in Lenasia [a suburb south of Soweto]. My mom passed away when I was 19, and we were living together here in this house, and she passed away in this house. So all the memories and everything happened here. And then she left me, of course, to inherit this house that I still live in with my son now. So everything&nbsp; is here. So, that's why it's called In My Element, because it's just an environment that speaks to the work itself. DM: Because now you kind of live in both a home and an archival space where you want to preserve memories for your son as well. PK: You are so right. DM: So is that something that you also take into your practice, that sense of care? PK: Most definitely. And I feel everything comes full circle because this is the same space that I shared with my mom, and it's the same space that I'm sharing with my son. Now that I'm a mother, I don't have my mom around to help me navigate motherhood, but the environment itself, because of the memories that I have with her and the conversations we had together – sometimes when I'm raising my own son, the advice that she'd tell me when I was younger, it's kind of easier to remember when I'm here because it's things that have happened here that helped me also navigate motherhood myself. DM: Wow. I'm really in awe of your practice, and I'd like to actually just touch on that nurturing. How your artistic practice honours your mother, your space, your entire life experience. Because now we are not talking only into the present and the past, but then even in the future. In what ways does your artistic practice honor and nurture aspects of motherhood that you and your mother shared? &nbsp; PK: I think it would start mostly with being spiritually in tune with myself, which is inspired by the fact that I can only connect through my mother spiritually, and that's how I can time travel from the past to the present to the future. And I find that practice is helping me navigate not just motherhood, but my life as a whole.The center of my life is motherhood. Everything stems from there. For me, I'm a mother first, before I am an artist or anything else. So whatever I do centers from the space of motherhood. If I have to take on a job, the first question is it gonna work around me and my son, or is it going to require me and him to be separated for me to do the work? And if it requires separation, then I don't take it, because I don't believe in separating from my son, especially at a young age, maybe when he grows older, and he requires the separation to live his life, then I'll think about it. But right now, we are at the early ages of his nurturing. And so everything I do as a mother is just centered on making sure that whatever my life is filled with, it can't take me away from being a mother. And I guess because my mother was taken away from me from a young age, it's probably one of the things that I fear the most. So I'm always trying to make sure that I am present in my son's life because we never know what tomorrow holds. DM: The other onset of ramification of this world that we've kind of been indoctrinated into, the capitalist, fast paced technology generation, whatever it is that we're living in, motherhood has become such a tough conversation. It's like you don't really have autonomy anymore once you become a mother, but you actually do. It just doesn't take the same shape as it would when you are a single woman. But you are the one who's making these decisions. You're the one who's still venturing into a career. It hasn't stopped. You've shifted your priorities. PK: Definitely. And I feel like also my mother put me first when it came to anything that she did in her life. She always put her children first. And I felt that's how I felt very loved by her because I knew I was number one. And so I think her mothering me like that has helped me mother and love my son the same way. DM: That's beautiful. And congratulations on so many things. This body of work is incredible. PK: Thank you, honey. Ditiro Mashigo is an artist and textile and fashion designer. Her work lies at the intersection of art, fashion, and the critical analysis of African aesthetics. She was part of a dual exhibition following INCCA’s inaugural Art After Baby&nbsp;(AAB) initiative at Keyes Art Mile in Johannesburg in November 2023. Phumelele Kunene’s solo exhibition In My Element&nbsp;runs at INCCA’s project space at Victoria Yards in Johannesburg from 2-29 March 2025. The exhibition is a result of INCCA’s Art After Baby (AAB) Vol.2 call out. AAB is an ongoing project initiated by INCCA in 2023 that supports those who are trying to juggle art-making with motherhood, care-giving or have been impacted by loss.