https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/27498 Tue, 12 May 2026 23:57:16 GMT 2026-05-12T23:57:16Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/29966 Amarhoqololo kaKim Mpako, Nombeko This Series is composed of eight panels of printed tapestries/textiles and further reinterpretation of two of the panels’ subject matter reproducing images that encapsulate the theme of this series, which is self-forgiveness. It started as a conscious retrospective reflection of my earlier works some of which were representing painful events, I had experience. The series was inspired by my daughter Kimberly Bediako, hence the title Amarhoqololo kaKimn (Kim’s scribbles). The first one in this series Irhoqololo likaKim 1, meaning Kim’s scribble 1, is derived from a work entitled “Please help 1988” which was commenting on domestic abuse now referred to as Gender Based Violence (GBV). Kim used textile design techniques to reinterpret this work expanding its meaning to the current state of GBV where women are encouraged to report violence they experience and speak out without fears of being stigmatized, as was the case in the past. I applied this recreation process to a selection of my earlier works some which expressed issues I wanted closure with. The eight panels were deliberately presented like flags symbolising celebration and denoting acceptance, and self-reconciliation. Self-forgiveness enabled me to accept my “responsibility and pain in processing the emotions of remorse” associated with the painful events expressed in these works (Enright 1996). Additionally, self-forgiveness facilitated Alexander Pope’s (1711) famous quote “To err is Human; to Forgive is divine” towards personal transcendence (http://eserver.org/poetry/essay-on-criticism.html)). These earlier works expressed my lived experiences and some societal aspects I observed as social commentary. While expressing these experiences at the time seemed enough and fulfilling however it became apparent that there were issues that I needed to put behind. I wanted to shed the baggage I had carried for years and forgive myself where necessary, or move on, without fear of failure or regret for things I could not change. The series challenge the viewer to see beyond superficial representation of subject matter but to engage with the works at deeper level. The recreation process involved re-evoking/reliving the historical authorship thus resisting my death as “the author” while consciously metamorphosising these works into massive and intricate new formations (Roland Barthes 1968). Thus, I became an author (creator) and a reader (critique/interpreter) simultaneously towards original authenticity. The two reinterpreted works GBV 2021 and Lala ngoxolo Nomontoza 2021 represent the main epitome of forgiveness and acceptance. They were created by combining performative acts of remorse, pain, and acceptance while evoking suppressed emotions towards self-veneration and healing. “Part of the healing offered through self-forgiveness involves an acceptance of who one is despite perceived shortcomings” (John Beiter 2007). These works also sought to evoke suppressed emotions metaphorically reliving the pain or uncovering an unhealed wound attending to it towards healing it permanently. Lala ngoxolo Nomontoza 2021 is derived from a work entitle “The Vigil 1988”, and it combines the original work transformed into a gigantic cross epitomising death with performance of remorse and grief. The cross and the crown of thorns reference the biblical event of the death of Jesus Christ as well as the belief that he died on the cross for our sins. Lala ngoxolo Nomontoza means rest in peace Nomontoza similarly to the phrased usually said to acknowledge death of a loved one. Nomontoza is a pseudo name I gave to the pregnancy I lost through a forced abortion. GBV and Lala ngoxolo Nomontoza were to release painful emotion towards healing. Uzo Uzo a Nigerian born Artist who lives in Houston, United States that I follow on Instagram asserts, “I create intense personal moments created by means of rules and omissions, acceptance and refusals, luring the viewer to look and see beyond the obvious”. Similarly, to Uzo Uzo when viewing Amarhoqololo kaKim Series the viewer is coerced to see beyond superficial representation of the subject matter. Thus, alternating creation and interpretation processes enhanced the final products as these processes complement each other responding to the theme what was being addressed in the ‘When Rain Clouds Gather”. It delt with the themes of political and social change, science versus traditional ways, tribalism, race, gender etcetera, which most of the themes in amaRhoqololo kaKim were portraying. 1. Amarhoqololo kaKim Season 1 series (1-8) 2021 Eight panels of colourful tapestries (120cm x 350cm). 2. Gender Based Violence (GBV) 2021 (80cm x 100cm) Digitally edited image on canvas 3. Lala ngoxolo Nomontoza 2021 (100cm x 200cm) Digitally edited image on canvas Wed, 09 Feb 2022 00:00:00 GMT https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/29966 2022-02-09T00:00:00Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/29962 IZANDLA EZIHLE ZABAZALIKAZI Mpako The exhibition “Izandla Ezihle Zabazalikazi” meaning “beautiful hands of motherhood” was activism for single parenting motherhood presented through actionism artistic discourse. It sought to present the argument that single parenting motherhood is a by-product of Gender Based Violence (GBV), a scourge destroying our moral fibre which is of concern to all South Africans. The featured works presented stories from 65 mothers who single parented or are parenting their children without fathers from six African countries including South Africa. These stories were told verbatim but anonymously and in their original voices via QR codes to capture the viewers’/listeners’ attention. The stories are accompanied by messages from the participating mothers to their daughters and sons advising them about life in general and issues surrounding domestic abuse and GBV. The messages were not only meant to be a therapeutic process for these mothers, but to also encourage dialogue between mothers and their children to come naturally, and not be regarded as a taboo. This is because most mothers usually hide issues surrounding the absence fathers from their children sometimes out of shame and or believing to be protecting the children. During the collection of the stories from the participating women their hands were photographed and used forming various art pieces featured in this exhibition. Some of these hands were transformed through printmaking and some are portrayed and arranged as mark-making unedited giving authenticity in an unpretentious manner. HANDS were problematised to epitomise freedom, authority, responsibility, giving, intervention, submission, caring, action, acceptance, solidarity and wisdom. They also were referencing the Indian Goddess Maa Durga who is considered in Hindu religion to represent the feminine epitome of strength, power, determination, and wisdom as the mother protector similarly to the single parenting mothers. The artwork entitled “Umfazi wamashumi asithandathu anesithandathu” (woman/mother number 66) a performance captures the image of the goddess Maa Durga, depicting the artist wearing an amour on her back with 64 arms shouting stance condemning the acts of GBV, femicide and child molestation. The 66 arms including the artist’s two arms each represent the 65 women who participated in this study and the artist. This performance represented a monumental sculpture in honour of single parenting motherhood. This was necessary because these mothers tolerate unspeakable deeds, and in some cases their children, for whom they sacrificed their happiness are sometimes the source of unhappiness. Thus, this exhibition was a campaign not only to bring about social change, but to honour single parenting mothers for their tireless caring and unconditional love for their children despite the difficulties that surround their lives. Its main objective was to provide a healing platform for the participants through journaling. According to Gladding (2001) “journaling can provide clients with new insights into problems they are already working to resolve”. This is because most people when experiencing difficulties usually think that their circumstances are bad, but when listening to other people’s stories realise that those are worse than theirs. I believe that sharing our stories in this manner lead to some healing allowing a release of painful emotions, initiating an acceptance, and righteously honouring our difficult responsibility towards mental and emotional wellness. The stories told in this exhibition came with lots of weeping, discharging painfully shared experiences, hence I believe this platform contributed to healing. In addition, the participants were from different socioeconomic classes, such as women working in professional jobs, and those in less formal or less paying jobs like domestic servants and hustlers. I choose to title my exhibitions and featuring works in isiXhosa my mother tongue to strengthen the theme of advocacy/activism, and extending the visual narratives making them accessible to the ordinary people I am advocating for. The title “beautiful hands of motherhood” is symbolic of the good and genuine intentions that all mothers universally have for their children. The unfortunate part is that mothers have no control over what their children become as they (children) also have responsibility to make the most from the opportunities and resources provided by their parents. Finally, the exhibition was to send strong message to young generation about single-parenting issues, while allowing the participants to accept the phenomenon as something beyond their control, and do their best. 1. Umfazi wamashumi asithandathu anesithandathu (Mother number 66) (animation still 100cm x 100cm) - animation of text messages to children from mothers, and the artist performance shouting stance condemning GBV, femicide and child molestation. 2. Transcription and translation of the artist’s voice message of the performance 3. Two-dimensional image of Mother number 66 Front view 4. Two-dimensional image of Mother number 66 Back view 5. Umzimbha wam uyabila ayandisinda’ mabali (my body is boiling the stories are heavy on me) Animated QR Codes with women’s Stories 6. 65 Women’s Stories - QR codes. 7. Abafaz’ abakhokhelwe sisimisane bavelelwandle (women led by a pregnant one from the ocean) (120cm X 180cm) digitally edited photograph. 8. Izandla Zabazalikazi (Hands of motherhood) (62cm x 74cm) Reduction colour lino-cut print on paper 1/10. 9. Ingwe idla ngamabala (The Tiger prides in its colour/spots) (88cm x 88cm) digitally produced print on paper. 10. Izandla zethi ziyasisebenzela (Our hands are working for us) (240cm x 240cm) a Mandala digitally produced and printed on vinyl. 11. Amarhoqololo kaKim season 2 (1) – (120cm X 350cm) digitally produced print on fabric. 12. Amarhoqololo kaKim season 2 (2) – (120cm X 350cm) digitally produced print on fabric. 13. Amarhoqololo kaKim season 2 (3) – (120cm X 350cm) digitally produced print on fabric. 14. Amarhoqololo kaKim season 2 (4) – (120cm X 350cm) digitally produced print on fabric. 15. Izandla zikasathana: SikhumbuluTshegofatso Pule (1) (Davil’s hands: Remembering Tshegofatso Pule (88cm x 110cm) Black and white wood cut print on paper 1/10. 16. Izandla zikasathana: SikhumbuluTshegofatso Pule (2) (Davil’s hands: Remembering Tshegofatso Pule (88cm x 110cm) Black and white wood cut print on paper 1/10. Sat, 24 Sep 2022 00:00:00 GMT https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/29962 2022-09-24T00:00:00Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/29957 Sithwelenzim Bazalikazi Mpako, Nombeko SITHWELENZIMA BAZALIKAZI “Sithwelenzima Bazalikazi series 2022” (we are struggling fellow mothers) is composed of photographs of staged performances of myself and sometimes with other women performing challenging mundane chores. Sithwele (we are carrying) nzima (heavy or difficult) Bazalikazi (mothers). Zala (verb = give birth) Nzima can also mean experiencing challenging problems, translated to mean carrying something heavy. The heaviness does not necessary refer to heavy material or physical load, but also emotional and spiritual. The women in these photographs are carrying buckets on their heads supposedly filled with water, heavy boxes characterising women’s struggles as providers, nurturers, and in this situation working and singing together symbolising solidarity. They are also walking in darkness portrayed by the moon and the stars, sometimes led by a heavily pregnant woman (the artist) as seen in “Sithwele nzima series 1, 2022”, a print which interprets/summarises this series. The episode portrayed in this series was a 10 kilometres journey to and from a waterfall in Kwazulu Natal (KZN) Province of South Africa. At the waterfall we performed a cleansing scene where we were immersed in water scooping and throwing it with the buckets metaphorically driving away all evils that surround us as black women in our respective habitats and daily living. These evils include gender-based violence (GBV) which leads to single or divorced women headed households. The objective of this series was to highlight these struggles by appraising black women’s strengths as breadwinners even though this important responsibility is hardly recognised or is under acknowledge in our society. When the participants were asked to participate in this event, they were told that the buckets will be filled with essential food items, and after the event they will take them home. Their response was “whatever that is will help us feed our children”, and they participated diligently after being briefed about the objective and significance of the project. The 10-kilometre walk with heavy buckets on our heads epitomised black women day-to-day struggles for survival. Although we all knew we were going to a waterfall, but we were not aware of how far it was, but depended on our leader, and once we had started walking, we were determined to reach the waterfall. This determination is testimony to women’s strength which is usually overlooked, because women are said to be weak and just emotional beings. This belief is supported by patriarchal belief systems and several other socially constructed cultural norms. This is another distinguishing characteristic of women in general which make them achieve what they set out to do, and they sometimes achieve these outcomes without prior knowledge. An example is nurturing of children which they perform without a formula, if they are lucky to have mentors learn by seeing, or just by doing. My initial plan as the artist was to perform with fellow women something that symbolised ordinary black women day-to-day chores especially those associated with women from rural areas, hence the water buckets. I had consciously envisaged a rural background where the July 2022 KZN floods had stricken. The waterfall was located near this environment, and when we were walking, we could still see the damage caused by the floods. The reason for this choice was to acknowledge the fact that once again the most affected people by these floods were black women from rural areas. Thus, my work advocates for black women’s/mothers’ struggles which are not acknowledge and sometimes are used to discriminate them by silencing them through accepted cultural norms. My performance deliberately portrays me as an ordinary woman because I have experienced all these struggles in one way or another, and revoking them is not only showing my strength, but appraising this unacknowledged phenomenon, giving the women represented their deserved agency. Set within intersectional feminism my work seeks to not only appraise these women’s struggle but to showcase them towards a transformative change. My artworks are meant to be a beam of hope and optimism for the younger generation encouraging the youth in general (girls and boys equally) to reconsider and choose to live their lives and cohabit in respect with one another. 1. Sithwelenzima series 1 – Abazalikazi (single mothers) (Size 62cm x 74cm) Lino cut print (1/10) 2. Sithwelenzima series 2 - Umthwalo’ nzima ( heavy load) (81cm x 108cam) Photography. 3. Sithwelenzima series 3 - Abazalikazi bexhotha mashangusha (women performing a cleansing ritual at a waterfall) (110cm x1 46cm) Photography. 4. Sithwelenzima series 4 - Abazalikazi bethatha’ mathansanqa (6 mothers collecting blessings from a waterfall) (110cm x 146cm) Photography. 5. Sithwelenzima series 5 – Abazalikazi neengxakeko zabo (mothers presenting difficult Multiple roles) (110cm x 146cm) Photography. 6. Sithwelenzima series 6 – Abazalikazi bevela elwandle (six mother from the ocean) (110cm x 146cm) Photography. 7. Sithwelenzima series 7 – Umzalikaz’ omithiyo emlanjeni (pregnant women at the river) (86cm x 110cm) Photography. 8. Sithwelenzima series 8 – Umzalikaz’ omithiyo nembhelesi) (A pregnant woman with nurse) (86cm x 110cm) Photography. 9. Sithwelenzima series 9 - Umthwalo’ nzima (woman carrying a heavy load in the forest) (86cm x 110cm) Photography. 10. Sithwelenzima series 10 – Abafaz’ ababini ebusuku namanzi (women returning home at twilight with water) (110cm x 146cm) Photography. Sat, 24 Sep 2022 00:00:00 GMT https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/29957 2022-09-24T00:00:00Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/29346 Lamaphupha ithini kanti into yawo 2021 (these dreams what is their meaning) Mpako, Nombeko “Lamaphupha ithini kanti into yawo 2021” series, meaning what is the meaning of these dreams is composed of photographs from performances some manipulated to complete the context and narrative of “surrealism”. Included within this series is an independent installation of enclosed office set-up with a solitary desk to contextualise a real office that was successfully ran and coordinated by a woman portraying my ambitions to overcome all odds. To contextualise this entire installation I use symbols and dramatic imagery because they bring about conversations about how things are not always what they seem and or how things ought to be. This series was also inspired by my frequent dreams which occur every year from about 40 years age. The first dream depicts me highly expectant and sometimes given birth to a baby girl. The second depicts me in a school uniform pushing my then toddler son’s pram with him standing next to it. The third dream depicts me flying with bat wings. This series deals with narratives of suffering, healing and transcendence. Lamaphupha ithini kanti into yawo 2021 (these dreams what is their meaning) • Ikho emayenzeke Uzile nje • Kanti ndizowaphumeza Lamaphupha 2021 (flying images) • The Dean’s Office • Ndizakuphumelela nobakanjani (seated figure at a desk with an oversize coconut head). Fri, 24 Sep 2021 00:00:00 GMT https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/29346 2021-09-24T00:00:00Z