Lamenting chaos. Vulnerability expressed in art

Abstract

This study examines anxiety through a posthuman lens, using rhizome theory and the concept of “becoming”. It embraces a fluid state of environmental connection, accepting real and perceived chaos. Through visual art, a tensional relationship between trauma, vulnerability and obsessive control is explored, establishing its impact on female artists and their creative work. The study interrogates chaos and order, fear and control, despair and resilience in the works of Julie Mehretu, Leora Farber and Joana Choumali, through a review of literature, textual analyses, autoethnography and practice-led artmaking. Employing new materialism, multidirectional thinking and convergence theories, the research highlights how selected works from these artists intersect with my creative praxis as an embodied expression of lamentation and grief. My artmaking resulted in the exhibition Disquiet (2024), which, through art, provides a dialogical response to the ambivalences and resilience required to live a precarious life.

Hierdie studie ondersoek angs deur ʼn postmenslike lens, met behulp van risoomteorie en die konsep van “wording”. Dit behels ʼn vloeibare toestand van omgewingsverbintenis, wat werklike en waargenome chaos aanvaar. Deur middel van visuele kuns word ʼn spanningsverhouding tussen trauma, kwesbaarheid en obsessiewe beheer ondersoek, wat die impak daarvan op vroulike kunstenaars en hulle kreatiewe werk bepaal. Die studie gebruik ʼn literatuuroorsig, tekstuele ontledings, outo-etnografie en praktykgedrewe kunsmaak om chaos en orde, vrees en beheer, wanhoop en veerkragtigheid in die kunswerke van Julie Mehretu, Leora Farber en Joana Choumali te ondersoek. Met behulp van nuwe materialisme, multidireksionele denke en konvergensieteorieë, beklemtoon die navorsing die oorvleueling van my kreatiewe praktyk met geselekteerde kunswerke van hierdie kunstenaars as ʼn beliggaamde uitdrukking van weeklaag en hartseer. My kunsmaak het gekulmineer in die uitstalling Disquiet (2024), wat ʼn dialogiese reaksie bied op die ambivalensies en veerkragtigheid wat nodig is om ʼn onseker lewe te lei.

Olu phandolwazi luphonononga ixhala ngokwembono yobuposthuman1 ekwiyindlela yokuhlalutya ejonga ubudlelwane phakathi kwabantu, ubuchwepheshe, indalo nezinye izinto ezingengobantu, endaweni yokubeka umntu njengoyena obalulekileyo, ngokusebenzisa ithiyori yerhayizom2, kunye nengcamango ethi “ukuba kwinkqubo yenguqu eqhubekayo”. Kwamkelwa imeko eguquguqukayo yonxibelelwano nendalo esingqongileyo, ukuba umntu unxulumene, uyinxalenye ephilayo yehlabathi elingenakuqondakala, nokuba kwimeko yokuyeka ukufuna ukulawula yonke into, kunye nokwamkela ukuba ebomini kukho izinto ezingekho ngqiqweni nezingaqikelelwanga neemvakalelo zokubhideka anokuba nazo. Ngokusebenzisa ubugcisa bokuzoba, kuphononongwa ubudlelwane obunoxinzelelo phakathi komonzakalo wengqondo, ukuba buthathaka, nolawulo olugqithisileyo, ukuze kuboniswe indlela ezi zinto ezichaphazela ngayo amagcisa angabasetyhini, kunye nomsebenzi wawo wobugcisa. Olu phandolwazi luhlalutya iingcamango zesiphithiphithi nocwangco, uloyiko, ulawulo, ukuphelelwa lithemba, nokomelela xa kujongwa imisebenzi kaJulie Mehretu, ULeora Farber, kunye noJoana Choumali, kusetyenziswa uphononongo loncwadi, uhlalutyo lwetekisi, autoethnografi3, kunye nokuveliswa kobugcisa obukhokelwa yinkqubo yokuzoba. Ngokusebenzisa ithiyori yematerialism entsha (egxininisa ukuba izinto eziphathekayo, indalo, imizimba, nezinto ezingengobantu zinendima ebalulekileyo ekubumbeni ihlabathi nakwimveliso yolwazi, hayi nje abantu bodwa), ukucinga ngeendlela ezininzi, kunye neethiyori zokudibana kweengcamango neenkqubo4. Olu phando lubonisa indlela imisebenzi yobugcisa ekhethiweyo yala magcisa edibana ngayo nomsebenzi wam wobugcisa njengendlela ebonakalisa ngokwasemzimbeni ukulila nokuba nentlungu. Umsebenzi wam wokwenza ubugcisa wafikelela kwinqanaba eliphezulu ngomboniso wobugcisa iDisquiet (2024), onika impendulo yengxoxo malunga nokungaqiniseki neemvakalelo eziphikisanayo, kwakunye nokomelela okufunekayo ukuze umntu aphile ubomi obungazinzanga.