KE LIHA PENE

- a tribute to Samuele Makoanyane -

Curated by Steven Sack in collaboration with the National Museum, Bloemfontein (Anthropology,Collections Management and Design) and it’s satellite, Oliewenhuis Art Museum.

The exhibition, Ke Liha Pene - a tribute to Samuele Makoanyane, focuses on the small clay warrior gurines made by Samuele Makoanyane (1909-1944) between the late 1930s and early 1940s. Samuele was born in Parys, Free State province, but he lived and worked at the village of Koalabata, in the Teyateyaneng district of Lesotho. He is renowned for making about 250 warrior gurines that resemble his great grandfather, Joshua Nao Makoanyane, a commanding general in King Moshoeshoe's army. He also made 150 in the image of King Moshoeshoe.

Samuele was a self-taught artist who began his career at an early age making clay models of animals and then ventured into making human gurines. His friend, agent and biographer, C G Damant, encouraged him to focus on depicting his own people. He created various gurines that included men and women going on with their daily activities (e.g. women carrying pots or breastfeeding babies), musicians playing traditional instruments etc. The gurines of musicians, which are now part of the Kirby Collection at the College of Music in Cape Town, were made for Professor Percival Kirby in the 1930s. Prof Kirby had commissioned Makoanyane to create eight gurines of Basotho musicians playing traditional musical instruments, but Samuele only managed to make seven.

Samuel Makoanyane, 1933 (C.G. Damant. 1951. Samuel Makoanyane, inside cover)

Each gurine is nely made and most feature important Basotho national symbols such as the blankets and hats. The warriors are depicted in their regalia (headdresses, copper gorget and etc) carrying weapons (shield, spear, battle axe), while the musicians are playing various instruments. The sizes of the gurines range from about 8 to 18 cm in height, a recommendation made by Damant after Makoanyane's bigger sculptures became difcult to transport and handle. Most of his work was sold through trading stores in Lesotho and South Africa. It is also found in the collections at the Iziko Museums of South Africa, Museum Africa in Johannesburg, the Duggan-Cronin Gallery in Kimberley, the East London Museum, Killie Campbell Museum in Durban and the National Museum in Bloemfontein.

The exhibition comprise of warrior sculptures on loan from various institutions as well as the regalia and weapons commonly associated with Basotho warriors, particularly his great grandfather. This includes the headdress (sekola), a copper gorget (khau), stabbing assegai/ spear (lerumo), great plume (mokhele), shield (thebe), battle axe (koakoa) and etc. This exhibition is curated by Steven Sack, who rst came across Makoanyane's work in 1988 when he curated the exhibition “The Neglected Tradition: Towards a New History of South African Art 1930-1988” at the Johannesburg Art Gallery. Steven has been fascinated by the artist ever since. Steven mentions that the “exhibition involves the rethinking of the Makoanyane collections in public institutions, as they migrate from social history collections and museums into the discursive space of the art museum - and thus the recognition of Samuele Makoanyane as an artist”.

References

https://www.sahistory.org.za/people/samuel-makoanyane (Access 19/09/2022) https://www.iziko.org.za/news/samuele-makoanyanes-sculptures-new-virtual-exhibition/ (Access 20/09/22) https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2021-09-22-conversations-through-time-spotlight-on-the-work-of-lesothoartist-samuele-makoanyane/ (Accessed 21/09/22) https://www.newframe.com/makoanyanes-historic-gurines-made-digital/ (Accessed 21/09/22) https://virtual.iziko.org.za/samuele-makoanyane.html

Follow the link to view the virtual exhibition, Ke Liha Pene - I lay down my pen, that forms part of an important collaboration between the Iziko Museums of South Africa and the Lesotho National Museum and Art Gallery. Showcasing Makoanyane’s work today is especially revealing thanks to the new technologies available to enhance our knowledge of the history of Samuele Makoanyane.

This exhibition is rendered using photogrammetry, which involves careful recording, measuring, and mapping of the actual sculptures, which are between 8 and 18 cm in height, into digital 3D models. Through this digitisation process, Makoanyane’s sculptures can be explored in detail and in an interactive way which would otherwise not have been possible in a physical exhibition because of the fragility of the sculptures.

Oliewenhuis Art Museum

16 Harry Smith Street, Bloemfontein

Tel +27 (0) 51 011 0525 (ext 200) oliewen@nasmus.co.za

Visiting hours:

Monday to Friday: 08h00 - 17h00

Saturday & Sunday: 09h00 - 16h00

Public Holidays: 09h00 - 16h00

Closed on Good Friday & Christmas Day

@oliewenhuis @OliewenhuisArtMuseum www.nasmus.co.za/visitor-information/

Oliewenhuis Art Museum is a satellite of the National Museum, Bloemfontein, an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture.