Wegwysers deur die Blinkuur (Signposts through the Twilight)

Stephané Edith Conradie’s work delves into the complexities of memory, inheritance and material culture, particularly as they relate to colonialism, displacement and identity in Southern Africa. Born in Namibia and based in Cape Town, Conradie transforms everyday household objects – items often dismissed as mere decoration – into intricate assemblages that challenge viewers to reconsider their significance.

Winner of the Standard Bank Young Artist Award in 2023, Conradie’s travelling exhibition Wegwysers deur die Blinkuur (Signposts through the Twilight) reflects this process of transformation and inheritance. The term “blinkuur” refers to twilight – that fleeting moment between day and night when the world begins to darken and uncertainty sets in. For Conradie, this twilight represents the transitory period between generations; a time when elders, surrounded by cherished possessions, confront their mortality and grapple with the question of who will inherit their values and material culture. In this liminal space, the objects passed down take on even greater significance, symbolising not just family history but the collective memory of a community shaped by the legacies of colonialism, slavery and apartheid.

For Conradie, this twilight represents the transitory period between generations; a time when elders, surrounded by cherished possessions, confront their mortality and grapple with the question of who will inherit their values and material culture.

The twilight metaphor is crucial in understanding Conradie’s work. The exhibition statement poetically describes this moment: “The day is drawing to a close; the sun is setting. The bright sunlight which gave the day its clarity is quickly dimming. Everyone is hurrying to get inside before the depths of darkness set in. The twilight, the blinkuur, is a time to barricade against the uncertainty of the upcoming evening, when the world becomes still and threats begin to lurk. Surrounded by family and inalienable possessions, inside the home discussions begin.”

In this metaphorical twilight, the elders of the home, polishing brass and crockery, sense their time is coming to an end. They anxiously wonder who will inherit their treasured belongings, and more importantly, the values embedded within them.

Conradie captures this tension between past and present in her sculptures, which consist of found objects like ashtrays, ceramic birds, sweet bowls and candleholders. These objects, salvaged from second-hand stores, flea markets and antique dealers, are carefully assembled into intricate, layered compositions. The sculptures, while retaining traces of their original forms, are transformed into something new – something that speaks not only to personal memory but also to a broader, creolised material culture shaped by colonialism and forced migration.

Stephané Edith Conradie

Conradie’s assemblages embody this tension, functioning as signposts (wegwysers) through the foggy morass of generational handovers of values and objects. Despite the anxiety of the blinkuur, Conradie’s work offers a sense of hope. She suggests that even when objects and values are seemingly rejected, ancestral residues remain. These residues are transformed to new identities and material cultures, revealing themselves in the morning light after the blinkuur has passed. Her work challenges us to reconsider the objects we live with and the stories they carry, ultimately offering a powerful reflection on how we construct meaning in a world shaped by displacement, oppression and adaptation. Wegwysers deur die Blinkuur is currently on show at the Standard Bank Gallery in Johannesburg.

- Laschandrè Coetzee

The Project Room - Namibia www.theprojectroom.com.na