MBALI TSHABALALA, Ethereal Roots
Mixed media on paper, 50 x 35.5 cm
"My work examines the systems that shape us – societal and governmental structures that claim to enforce, embody or distort order. Through my art, I explore how order can be interpreted, dismantled and reimagined, weaving both personal and universal reflections into this inquiry. As a woman, my experience within these systems is shaped by a constant tension between imposed structures and the resilience required to navigate them. Women, particularly in spaces like Johannesburg, are often tasked with holding together fragile frameworks while adapting to instability and chaos. This duality informs my perspective, where the act of creating becomes both a reclamation and a reimagining of order. Downtown Johannesburg, alive in its contradictions, reflects these dynamics. Fleeting moments of balance and structure emerge from the city’s relentless energy – a harmony found in chaos. This interplay mirrors the rhythms of nature, where fractals, cycles and symmetry reveal a hidden organization that holds chaos and balance in tension. These patterns also speak to a deeper, spiritual order – a profound alignment within the universe where resilience and transformation become acts of quiet power."
- Mbali Tshabalala
MBALI TSHABALALA, Indaleko
Mixed media on paper, 50 x 53 cm
Mbali Tshabalala is a multidisciplinary artist whose work embodies thematic expressions of identity juxtaposed with society’s often invisible expectations. Tshabalala’s work deals with recurring themes related to existential dialogue and an inquiry into external influences that inform her existence as a young South African woman of Xhosa and Swazi descent. Tshabalala is a curator and arts entrepreneur, and her work further explores notions of mental wellness in black societies, particularly in black women. Although historically burdened with many inequalities, black women are often expected to be of limitless resilience, tenacity and to embody ‘The Strong Black Woman’ persona
Specialists in contemporary art from South Africa. Established in 1913. South African artists are part of the global conversation. We seek to make their voices heard.
