Feni Chulumanco – ‘IMIYALELO’ is the first solo exhibition at Ebony/Curated by this Cape Town based artist who explores familial Imiyalelo.
Imiyalelo directly translates to ‘Instructions’, but holds more meaning than just that. Imiyalelo refers to the family values and morals that are passed down through generations, which ultimately inform decisions we make and carries weight in shaping our identity.
By displaying domestic objects, the Artist pays homage to how these elements were used to decorate the home space by our parents and how this signified status and played a significant role in his upbringing.
Re-telling his lived experience, compelling faceless solitary figures are always painted against a background of textiles and notably saturated colours, such as mustard walls from memories of his late grandmother’s home. Chulumanco notes that these figures are self-portraits as well as recreations of his brother and himself at home. He paints his figures without faces because, while they are inspired in part by West African masks, they also represent Chulumanco’s own experience. In his pursuit of being an artist, he had faced rejection from his community, and he recalls feelings of voicelessness and invisibility. Chulumanco’s work is never static because his figures are always in motion – they represent the discipline he values through the chores assigned to his brother and him by his mother. He discloses that his dreams still link him to messages from his forefathers, including his late and beloved grandmother.
Chulumanco encases some of his figures in glass boxes, and references the individualism, personal growth, and the secure environment he created for himself through self-isolation in order to follow his calling, but it is also a tribute to the caregivers and feminine forces who nurtured, nourished, and believed in him, as he permeates his art with maternal warmth.
This exhibition will be available to view in person and on Artsy
To request a catalogue –Â email the gallery.
WHAT: Feni Chulumanco – ‘IMIYALELO’
WHERE: EBONY CAPE TOWN | 67 Loop Street, Cape Town 8001
WHEN: Opening 28 September 18:00 0 20:00, until 29th October 2022
INFO: T +27 (0)21 424 9985 | Visit | E info@ebonycurated.com
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