KIMATHI MAFAFO Connected by a Thread

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THE ARTIST CONNECTED

BY A THREAD

From a lineage of artists connected by a deep cultural malaise, Kimathi Mafafo chooses otherwise

by Anelisa Mangcu

Kimathi Mafafo was born to a Xhosa

Mother who made an income as the local seamstress and a Tshwana Father, Rocky Mafafo, a well-known watercolourist by profession. Her Father often put the needs of the community above his own family and at an early age, Mafafo was exposed to tight-lipped stoicism and the dichotomy of tradition and modernity.

When I visited her studio, Kimathi Mafafo, a mother of two, had just returned from collecting her daughter Nompumi from daycare and I am welcomed into the space by this vibrant and commanding 3-year-old. As I began to touch her unfinished artwork, Mafafo politely tells me the needle I was fiddling with was intentionally placed by her 13-year-old daughter Inga.

The large abstract pieces that currently hang on the wall of her studio are in preparation for her forthcoming solo exhibition at EBONY/ CURATED. They are noticeably different to her previous work. In those earlier pieces, Mafafo’s meticulous and bold embroidered figurative panels were reflective of her resistance against external control and the historic ceiling placed upon women. In her latest works, large-scale abstract hand-stitched pieces are complex and layered; bold in colour and size, highlighting a more playful side to the artist. These new abstract panels have a kinetic feeling achieved by using different stitches and the repurposing of fabric off-cuts in order to give existing materials meaning.

(Detail) Embolden V, Embroidered Panel, 2019, 157cm x 139cm

Above: Embolden VI, Embroidered Panel, 2019, 140cm x 110cm Left: Umtwalo Wami I, Embroidered Panel, 2019, 51cm x 39.5cm

Mafafo’s work confronts the viewer with mankind’s innate connection to respect tradition which contrasts with our desire to evolve whilst evoking feelings of empathy, curiosity, strength, playfulness and sometimes discomfort.

“I am telling a story of how I overcame a generational curse of being a voiceless woman, my healing and how liberating it has been for me. I think this is something many women have experienced going into marriage or partnership and having to compromise more than expected. In my new body of work, I do not want to be painted as a victim. It is about choosing myself as a woman before my previous title of being a wife or partner to someone, and my most precious one, a Mother.” – Kimathi Mafafo

Her embroidery has not only opened doors figuratively for new collectors and admirers, but also literally opened her studio doors to lead a group of 15 women in an artistic skills development workshop through The Greatmore Studio Trust. In a world where women are often questioned about their everyday activities, their dreams and their voice, her workshop has become an environment to critically analyse conflicting views that women of colour often face.

‘EMBOLDEN’ A solo exhibition by Kimathi Mafafo at EBONY/ CURATED, 67 Loop Street Cape Town 5 th September 2019 to 2 nd November 2019

Kimathi Mafafo will be included in ‘Spotlight’ at Latitudes Art Fair in Johannesburg 13th September 2019 to 15th September 2019

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