South African story from a feminine perspective

This exhibition is about young women artists celebrating themselves for being whom they in the South African grand narrative.

By Edward Tsumele, CITYLIFE/ARTS Editor

This past weekend, on Saturday, November 1, 2025, I turned down two invitations to attend two art talks that took place at two prestigious galleries in Sandton City. These two events are not less important than the one I chose to attend. In fact they are more prestigious with regards to social visibility and even superior with regards to the resources at their command to make sure that guests were comfortable as they engaged with matters of art. Logic, rather self-interest, particularly the prospect of enjoying good wines and other drinks, sumptuous eats that normally go with invitations of that nature, and engaging with enlightened high powered guests in the art world, was a real temptation to attend the two events.

But instead, I threw all that away and chose to attend a less ‘glamorous’ but not less significant art event, also, in Sandton. In fact a stone’s throw away at Sandton Central Square in Morningside. Less fancy, with little resources to cater for guests, but powerful as a way of making a bold art statement, and also with regards to the quality of the art works on display. That is the Feminine Essence exhibition featuring 9 artistsImpumelelolMaseko, LandiweShabalala, LineoBuhlungu, Mabalemnya’maRadebe, MabontlePhetla, NomondeKananda, NomsaMotale (artist/curator) Nomvula Hoko, Elaysia Studio and performance artist NqobileMkari, turned out to be.

The exhibition had a stunning opening by Mkari, who did an intense ritual performance piece reflecting her personal experience last year when the University of Johannesburg masters student faced a personal challenge that drove her deep into her spirituality.

“Feminine Essence is a journey of feeling, reflecting and creating. Feminine energy embodies qualities such as fluidity, receptiveness, empathy,expressiveness, and above all, creativity.The magic of duality lies in finding harmony. Amidst the hustle and bustle of our modernlives—where we often lean into masculine energy—it’s essential to carve out moments forintrospection and embrace our feminine essence.This means dedicating time to cultivate creativity, nurture ourselves, tap into our emotions without overanalysing, and allow for a deep inner exploration.It is a moment to pause, look inward, and embrace vulnerability without fear.

This art exhibition delves into the essence of feminine energy. The artists share their experiences of embodying this energy, whether through bursts of creativity, moments of vulnerability, inner reflection, expressive revelations, or connecting with their intuition. We invite our audience to take a breath, to slow down, and to immerse themselves in the experience of feeling and simply being. Our hope is that this exhibition fosters connection, reflection, healing, and inspiration,” writes curator NomsaMotale in her curatorial note accompanying the exhibition.

I did not regret attending the opening of Feminine Essence exhibition. Never mind that this exhibition opened and is running in a ‘borrowed’ gallery space, thanks to a good Samaritan gallery owner who saw beyond their personal self-interest, to extend a helping hand to artists who are short of resources, but huge in their vision: the intent to be seen and heard by the art market, and most importantly, their resolve not to let the disadvantage of not having a financial backer or own resources to reach out to the art market.

It took the young Soweto curator NomsaMotalean investment in time, researching, scouring social media spaces, looking for space for herself and the other participating artists to exhibit their works.

“That is when I found out about this gallery. A few email exchanges with the owner sealed the deal.  The owner agreed that we could use the gallery for a week, (commencing on Saturday, 1, November 2025 to 8 November 2025.”

That drive to dream beyond the constraints of the lack of resources, beyond their personal circumstances has resulted in an exhibition that displays art works that deal with serious contemporary issues that are at the heart of ventilating the positionalities of these young women in a society that is fraught with several challenges that affect especially the women folklore and children.

The art works on display make a collective bold statement about how young women feel about the society they live in. Their collective feminine statement elevates women voices without trying to drown out other voices. Erasing other presences in contemporary South African society.

By viewing this exhibition, you can feel the feminine power. You can feel the message they are sending out, without drowning other voices and presences in contemporary South Africa. The art works on display are clear about one thing: Centering women in society without trying to erase the other, but rather minimise its presence. In fact the exhibition is curated in a manner that acknowledges the presences of others, but not centering the other. This message is quite poignantin its intent, especially in a society that in the main is patriarchal, and often tends to treat women folklore as not being part of the centre.

However after sometime of immersive viewing, one realises that as the other presences seem to have been minimised in order to centre the other, they are actually not totally absent. Rather the male presence is gazing curiously from an obscure corner. Has been rendered invisible. But being invisible does not always mean absence, just as being quiet does not always mean silence. The male figure’s gaze, one can discern, is constantly present. Perhaps wondering what the women folklore are up to this time around. Without involving them as is normally the case in society. Their absence becomes a powerful of assertiveness on the part of the women figure in society. The woman figure seems to suggest, it can be argued, that the male figure we know you are there, but this is not your party. This is our party alone, but you can observe from a distance without disturbing.

I found this exhibition by these mainly young artists to be a powerful statement of self-reliance, powerful commentary on the male and female dichotomy in contemporary South Africa, and the dynamics that often define the relationship between the male and female figure in society, including in the corporate sector, education, sport and within the domestic environments.

Putting this exhibition together by these young artists is no small matter, particularly in an environment of a constrained official funding models that seem to favour the loud and visible, while at the same time forgetting the talented that still have to learn the tricks of how to fight for recognition and acknowledgement by those controlling the official funding purse.

Nevertheless these young women artists have pulled it together on their own through sheer drive, tenacity and innovation. Sure, you will not find an official banner from any of the official funding agencies accompanying this exhibition. But you are guaranteed to find good art works that tell the South African story of today from a feminine perspective –women celebrating themselves for being who they are and their different individual positionalities in the South African grand narrative.

However it is also important to note that this exhibition is not about feminism activism. If perceived as such, it can be argued it is the soft power kind.

“Feminine energy is characterized by qualities such as softness, receptivity, and fluidity. Therefore, I have opted to incorporate nude and beige and colourful tones throughout this series of artworks. The nude shade symbolizes the inherent softness of feminine energy and the strength found in stillness. Symbolism: This colour elicits sensations of tranquillity, simplicity, and organic beauty. Furthermore, it conveys warmth, comfort, and practicality—attributes that align with the essence of feminine energy. I also decided to photograph flowers because they represent softness, mother nature (which is the essence of feminine energy,” says Motale about her own works on display.

But who is the artist who put this altogether?

Nomsa Motale is a self-taught artist renowned for her abstract works, which primarily emphasize texture and emotional expression. In addition to her artistic pursuits, she has a profound appreciation for photography, using both mediums to convey diverse narratives. In my perspective, the act of creation is driven more by emotion than rational thought. It embodies a natural flow and a connection to one’s feminine energy, which serves as the foundation of my artistic inspiration. I endeavour to convey my emotions through the medium of canvas, allowing for personal expression. Furthermore, I am deeply committed to curating and fostering opportunities for emerging artists. My creative acumen enables me to synthesize various ideas effectively. My enthusiasm lies within the creative sector, where I strive to assist fellow artists in achieving their highest potential.