The growth of Turiya Magadlela from weaving societal issues into prison overalls to internationally reputed art powerhouse

Her solo exhibition Uchazwayini (what’s your fascination) opens at THK Gallery October 31-30 November 2024, between 5-7pm at 52 Waterkant Street, Cape Town City Centre.

By Edward Tsumele, CITYLIFE/ARTS Editor

When I first got to know about abstract artist Turiya Thando Magedlela, it was one day in 2004, when I was working for a Sunday newspaper’s art supplement. This is after one of the editorial executives told me about her and her art practice.  That opportunity came at the right time for me because at the time, after having covered everything from interviewing TV and radio celebrities,and  kwaito musicians, as well as having beaten the adult Africa  contemporary  music and South African contemporary jazz path,  I was yearning for something new in my arts journalism career. I had starting exploring covering the fine art scene in the country,particularly visual artist. At the time a new crop of young visual artists working in different mediums were starting to make their voice heard on the South African contemporary scene, being graduated at the time by public universities’ fine art department that had started to accept black students in relatively small but significant numbers. This is after such opportunities were denied to them during apartheid, with such opportunities mainly open to white students, and not blacks students no matter the potential they displayed in the art field. That is the pain of apartheid.

However a democracy that changed, beginning a little bit earlier than 1994, but with the enrolment of black students picking momentum after 1994. One such student, who had graduated from fine art school with a formal qualification in fine art, happened to be the then young Magadlela.

I was interested in meeting her in her studio. This was not only to have a superficial conversation with her, but also to understand deeper her art practice. The path as it were did not lead me to a studio, but a flat on Louis Botha in Orange Grove. That was in fact her studio and a place of abode for her. And when I arrived, I found the place looking like it was in chaos with overalls all over the floor. I was baffled at first, but curious nevertheless how such a young woman, clearly educated and smart,could live with what I considered to be old dirty overalls strewn all over the floor of her apartment. But it soon dawned on me, and I am grateful for that quick grasp of understanding that this was her studio. And what looked like dirty overalls around her studio was actually her art material. And as the conversation went on, she indeed explained that she scoured prisons and accosted whoever passed her path to look for discovered prison overalls that she turns into not only beautiful things to look at, but art that tells a story about social issues affecting the vulnerable in communities. I was left in awe of this artist.

Ever since I have witnessed the career of this artist go up, up and up, solidifying its position in the global art market and being collected by those in the know about what real art is. The appreciation of her art today happens here in South Africa and abroad, by both prestigious institutions andinfluential individual art collectors.

Magadlela has also had an opportunity to further her art education in The Netherlands ever since, further exposing her to new ideas and techniques.  Her art practice has therefore become complex, enriched and embellished with these new ideas that she continues to  develop, fine tuning them to the level where  now the artist is one of the most sought after by collectors from around the world.

For example, just last month, Magadlela exhibited her works in New York, US. However local collectors do not have to despair for having missed that exhibition.

Back home, Magdalela is having another solo exhibition that will open on October 31-30 November 2024, at the THK Gallery 52 Waterkant Street, Cape Town.

“THK Gallery is thrilled to present Uchazwayini (what’s your fascination), a solo exhibition by renowned South African artist Turiya Magadlela. This exhibition marks an exciting new chapter in Magadlela’s career as she expands her practice to include painting, alongside her signature textile works comprised of pantyhose. Uchazwayini opens at THK Gallery on the 31st of October between 5-7pm at 52 Waterkant Street, Cape Town City Centre and will be available to view until 30 November 2024,” says the gallery.

In reality, Magadalela (b. 1978) whose father is the late well known South African artist Fikile Magadlela  is today a well known and established artist, respected for her innovative use of textiles to confront the pressing social issues surrounding race, gender, and identity. Through the manipulation of materials such as nylon pantyhose, correctional service uniforms, and prison sheets, she weaves a narrative that speaks to the complexities of South Africa’s history and the global struggles of marginalized communities. Her use of pantyhose—often stretched, sewn, and layered—becomes a metaphor for skin, identity, and the societal pressures exerted on the body, specifically the Black female body.

In this exhibition, Magadlela continues to explore these themes, using her powerful textile practice alongside her newfound exploration of painting to create visually arresting works that push the boundaries of abstraction. The combination of painting and textiles introduces a new texture and depth to her storytelling, offering fresh insights into her ongoing examination of femininity, discrimination, and the intimate politics of the body.

A graduate of the University of Johannesburg and the prestigious Rijksakademie in Amsterdam, Magadlela has garnered international acclaim since winning the FNB Art Prize in 2015. She has exhibited widely, from the Armory Show in New York to major group exhibitions like Blue Black at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation, curated by Glenn Ligon.

“Her works are recognized for their ability to challenge traditional notions of craft while offering a deeply personal yet universally resonant commentary on the intersections of race, gender, and labor.

This exhibition invites viewers to engage with Magadlela’s evolving practice, where the tactile quality of her textile works and the painterly gestures of her new pieces form a compelling dialogue,” the curator’s stamen says.

Looking back, indeed today I feel ashamed that what I thought strewn on th3 floor of that apartment in Orange Grove, have metamorphosed into a powerful materiality through which social issues in society are embedded to reflect the challenges of our time.  What a wonderful growth for this Soweto born artist.

.Visit Uchazwayini (what’s your fascination) at THK Gallery October 31-30 November 2024, between 5-7pm at 52 Waterkant Street, Cape Town City Centre.