Artist and academic Khanya Mthethwa’s upcoming exhibition Threads That Bind Us an exhibition aims at celebrating South Africa’s diverse indigenous cultures

Her research and art practice in this often less appreciated and undervalued area of art is already attracting international attention. 

By Edward Tsumele 

I have stopped a long time ago to judge people by how they look. And so, I thought. This is because again and again over time, stereotyping people about who they are by simply looking at how they look and make all sorts of judgment is a notion that continues to be discredited in these modern times. 

However, when I recently made my way and took a seat on a couch at the School of Hospitality and Tourism at University of Johannesburg, Bunting Campus, I almost fell into that trap of stereotyping people by how certain people who practise certain professions should look like. Old habits die hard indeed. 

I saw a lady who was chatting to someone on a table just outside the School of Hospitality and Tourism and dismissed her as someone unlikely to be the person I was looking for.  She is tall and certainly pretty with a model-like features. And therefore, I dismissed Khanya Mthethwa whom I was meeting for the first time as not the artist I was meeting for the interview ahead of her solo exhibition. In my mind, she simply did not look like an artist, but rather some model. 

Can you imagine the embarrassment I felt when I phoned her office to say I was waiting for her already at the agreed venue and at the agreed time, but she was nowhere to be seen. The person who took the call was calm and simply explained that she was right there where I was and therefore should not worry anyway as she would find me in no time. 

And when the person that I had already seen for over 3o minutes and had dismissed her as the not the artist I was meeting stood up, looked in my direction, smiled and came straight to where I was, I felt embarrassed. 

Mthethwa is in fact an artist poised to make waves on the visual contemporary art scene and not only in South Africa, but internationally too. In a way she is already doing just that and the reason is simple. As I spoke to her and got to understand here art practice, I realized that here is someone, who not only yearns to restore the dignity of African indigenous knowledge systems and its diverse practices such as in photography, fashion and design, and therefore elevating its value within the global cultural and artistic ecosystem, but she is putting a lot of scholarly research into this. 

“For example, I do not understand why bead work as practiced by our ancestors for decades does not carry the same commercial value as a diamond ring. This is because beadwork just like any other art practice carries a lot of value, and who decides what is valuable art and what is not,” she remarked to CITYLIFE/ARTS.  

And this statement cannot be taken lightly because in her academic career, Mthethwa has invested a lot of her time into researching the beadwork and its role in African societies. 

“I extensively researched the role and significance of beadwork withing the Zulu and Venda cultures and I found out a lot of interesting cultural elements about the value and symbolism of beads in these cultures as practiced by our forebears. How the beads were designed was informed by certain symbolism within these cultures. For example, certain beads were designed to cement love between two suitors. For example, a young man would present a certain kind of bead to a young woman in Zulu culture and once she accepted the beadwork it meant it was a yes, such as in Western engagement,” Mthethwa explained. 

Her beadwork and her research in this area of less appreciated and less valued art practice, is already attracting attention from the global art scene.  And this renewed interest hopefully will result in more appreciation and more value attached to this kind of work, and ultimately elevate its commercial value as authentic art, just like any Western influence art practice like jewellery design. 

“Last year in March I was invited to exhibit at an art fair in Germany that focuses on traditional jewellery. This year, I have been invited again to make a presentation there.” 

However, those who would like to have a deep insight into Mthethwa’s art and art practice, do not have to necessarily travel all the way to Germany. 

This is because The Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture, FADA Gallery will be presenting, Abantu: Threads That Bind Us an exhibition by Mthethwa that celebrates South Africa’s diverse indigenous cultures through an exploration of identity and tribute to the resilience of African memory. This solo exhibition will open February on February 27, 2025, at the UJ FADA Gallery, Bunting Road Campus at 18:00 for 18:30, and will run till the March 28, 2025. Walkabouts with the artist will take place on the 1st, 8th and 10th of March at 11:00.   

Inspired by South African culture past and present, this exhibition bridges the distance between the two through artistic interpretations of archival materials and contemporary design. This artistic depiction invites one to connect with histories that remain alive in spirit yet often overlooked. 
   The exhibition will unfold across two levels. The lower ground level will contain ‘The Archive’ which honours the richness of ancestral knowledge and craftsmanship. It will feature beaded artifacts loaned from the Wits Arts Museum and embroidered portraits of kings and cultural leaders. 
“This space will offer a reverent encounter with the legacies This space will offer a reverent encounter with the legacies that have shaped South Africa’s indigenous identity,” says  Mthethwa. 

The ground floor named, ‘The Present’, reimagines the archival encounters as vibrant contemporary works. From art jewellery and vases, to re-staged photographic portraits of traditional attire, each piece speaks to the transformative power of remembering and reinterpreting.    

Who essentially is Mthethwa?    
Khanya Mthethwa is a multi-award-winning jewellery designer born in Kwa-Zulu-Natal, currently working as an academic at the University of Johannesburg. Her notable academic achievements include a Master of Arts in design, as well as certificates in Rough Diamond Evaluation and Diamond Cutting. She is also a PhD candidate in Art History at the University of Johannesburg’s Department of Visual Art. Beyond her academic and lecturing roles, Khanya is the founder and CEO of Changing Facets, a multidisciplinary company that merges contemporary jewellery, indigenous artistry, and design innovation. Her work has been exhibited internationally. 

Important exhibition details 

Date: 27 February 2025  
Time: 18:00 for 18:30  
Location: FADA Gallery, Bunting Road Auckland Park 
RSVP at by 20 February 2025  
Please remember to bring your ID or license to access the UJ Campus.