Gerard Sekoto award winner Abongile Sidzumo turning leather offcuts into art telling story of labour migration in Southern Africa

By Edward Tsumele, CITYLIFE/ARTS Editor

The first thing that a viewer will notice when you are inside the ABSA Gallery in Johannesburg CBD are elaborately threaded leather on canvas that give an impression of a landscape paintings. That is for those that bear portraits of un-named people. In fact these art works look more like paintings than leather off cuts that have been meticulously and of course skilfully threaded by the artist, creating art pieces that are inviting to the eye, and even so to the pockets of those with cash to spare and are in a position to invest in art. While you are admiring the landscapes that seem to emerge behind the portraits, you will soon come face-to-face with other art works on the wall, which are abstract patterns formed by these leather off-cuts.

These art pieces are telling a multi-layered  that is both personal, but also applies to the general idea of migration of human beings, often from places where they originate to other new places where at first they often struggle to fit in but after sometime find themselves calling such places home;. Under those circumstances, their places of origin become a fading idea at the back of their minds, only carrying sentimental value and fading memory. This is because for all practical reasons, their reality has changed and is likely to be so for ever. This is probably what the artists had in mind when he created the portraits of those people and behind them seemingly a landscape that seems to stretch further and further away.

Welcome to Abongile’s solo exhibition titled, which is currently on at the ABSA Gallery.  Born and bred in Kwa-Langa township in Cape Town, the artists traces his roots to King Williamstown in Eastern Cape. But his parents, just like many Africans in Southern Africa, migrated to urban areas, in this case to Cape Town looking for opportunities to earn a living proving labour to the industry. In most cases they get stuck there and end up calling such new places home.

“This exhibition in many ways tells the story of my family, who migrated from King Williamstown to Cape Town, where I was born and where I now call home,” the artists told CITYLIFE/ARTS in an interview on Thursday, February 9, 2023 when his exhibition opened. His mother, Fezeka came all the way to witness his son make history in Johannesburg by having his first major exhibition with a leading gallery ever since he graduated from Michaelis at where University of Cape Town in 2021 with a BA degree in fine art (majoring in sculpture).

The point is after winning the Absa L’Atelier 2021 Gerard Sekoto award one of the pecks for that triumph is the prestige of having a a solo exhibition. And looking at the significant number of  red stickers that already next to some of the art works Abongile Sidzumo’s solo exhibition is definitely a game changer for the young artist who practised at a primary school in Kwa-Langa. The soft spoken artist is definitely someone to watch out for those especially looking for fresh perspectives on art practice in South Africa.

And therefore Absa Gallery in partnership with the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS) by opening its doors for the solo exhibition by Abongile Sidzumo, this maybe the beginning for sometging big for him on the South African contemporary art scene.

“Some of the works I produced while I was on residency in {Paris for three months (Winning the Gerard Sekoto award means that the artist has to spent three months on a residency in Paris in a supportive arts eco-system that exposes the artists to new ways of art practice).

The name of the exhibition Amagoduka refers to a concept of belonging and what he considers home.  ‘Amagoduka’ is a term used for people who live in urban areas but are originally from rural locations.

Clearly Abongile’s practice is influenced by his life experience and the performance of everyday life in black communities. He uses discarded leather offcuts in his body of work and assembles them to create imaginary landscapes. The leather offcuts have been stitched together by thread, they explore ideas around migrant labour, land, and class. The act of repurposing leather offcuts draws influence from the livelihoods of the working class.

Cultural attaché and Deputy Director of French Institute of South Africa (IFAS) a lead sponsor of the Gerard Sekoto Award, Sophie Boulé had this to say:  “This year will be exactly 20 years that we have supported the Absa L’Atelier Gerard Sekoto Award for the most promising South African artists. We believe in the power of this Award which grants a talented young South African creative the exciting opportunity to expand their horizons with a 3-month artistic residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, gaining greater exposure as a result thereof. Abongile brought his South African roots to a new city, one known for its culture and inspiration. As part of the Award, Abongile will embark on a touring exhibition across South Africa providing an opportunity for exposure amongst art afficionados. Along with our partners, Absa and South African National Association for the Visual Arts (SANAVA), we are proud to accompany Abongile and other South African artists in sharing their work both nationally and internationally.”

The work of Abongile deals with often overlooked suffering and violence experienced by black people. His work captures the feeling of being in certain spaces and how those spaces impact the way people navigate through life. The importance of having a place to visit and spending time with family and friends as a form of healing.

“Winning the Gerard Sekoto award has been the biggest highlight of my career. It has encouraged me to keep going and believe in my art practise. Umntu Ngomntu Ngabantu, a big thank you to Absa and everyone involved.” Sidzumo articulated with a Xhosa saying which means “A person is a person through other people. “The Absa L’Atelier has built a legacy, providing the next generation of young African artists with the support, recognition, and exposure they need to cement their burgeoning careers,” says Dr Paul Bayliss, Senior Specialist Art and Museum Curator at Absa Group.

“The Absa L’Atelier has be running for 36 years now and it is truly inspiring to see the talent of these young artists and as Absa, with our partners we are proud to be a part of the journey and will continue to showcase and invest in some of Africa’s finest young artists.”

Bayliss told CITYLIFE/ARTS that after its run at the ABSA Gallery, Amagoduka will head to Gqheberha from 2 May – 02 June; Bloemfontein from 28 August – 29 September; and, Tshwane from 27 October – 18 November 2023.

This tour will definitely give immense exposure to the young artist, adding to the international exposure the artist already enjoyed while in Paris during his three three-month residency at Cité International des Arts, in Paris, France.

While there Sidzumo participated in numerous group exhibitions: The Oasis at Hallmark House (2021), A Prelude at BKhz Gallery and Slip Stream at Gallery-De-Move-On (2022), to name but a few!