acrylic on perspex print

Artwork date: 2014
Signature details: each inscribed with the artist's name, the date and the title on the reverse
Exhibited: SMAC Gallery, Stellenbosch, 'Pooling Our Secrets', 5 to 28 February 2015.

(1)

84.5 x 59.5 x 3 cm each

Provenance:

Private collection, Cape Town.

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Simphiwe Ndzube's triptych Becoming I, II & III invites viewers into a world where the boundary between the real and the fantastical dissolves. Each panel of the triptych showcases a figure adorned in elaborate, otherworldly attire – a richly patterned gold jacket, bright orange-soled shoes, and layers of vibrant scarves that obscure the face, leaving the identity of the subject both concealed and universal. The oversized hats and white gloves add an air of theatricality, transforming the figure into a performer on the stage of a dreamlike reality.

Ndzube's work often explores themes of transformation and identity, and in this piece, the figure seems to be in a state of flux, caught between becoming and being. The swirling patterns on the floor, reminiscent of traditional African textiles, ground the figure in a familiar cultural reality. Yet, the dark, sinuous roots emerging from the ground introduce an element of the uncanny, hinting at unseen forces that both nurture and ensnare.

The juxtaposition of the hyper-realistic textures of the clothing and the surreal elements like the twisting roots creates a tension between the known and the unknown, the seen and the unseen. The figure’s posture, shifting from one panel to the next, suggests a narrative of movement and evolution, as if the character is navigating through different stages of existence. Ndzube’s approach does not adhere strictly to ‘historical truth’ but instead emphasises the art of storytelling. The figures are brimming with energy, embodying the human realities that befall them. They reflect the various challenges, joys, and struggles that people face. The figures are not just static images; they are portrayed in a manner that captures the essence of human existence and blurs the lines between fantasy and reality, crafting a visual allegory for the complexities of identity, particularly in post-apartheid South Africa.

Here, the fantastical dress and the surreal elements are not mere embellishments but integral to the narrative of transformation. The tension between freedom and constraint, individuality and universality, reality and fantasy, lies at the heart of Ndzube's Becoming I, II & III.

COLLECTOR'S NOTE

• The record for a Simphiwe Ndzube work at auction is £ 37 800 for a painting, Figure with a Whip Leg, sold in London in 2021.

• Notable international solo exhibitions include After Rain Songs at Stevenson Amsterdam, Netherlands, 2024; Chorus at Blum Los Angeles, 2023 and Isithunywa so Moya at Ncodim Gallery, Los Angeles, 2022.

• International, institutional group presentations include California Biennial 2022; Pacific Gold, at the Orange County Museum of Art, Costa Mesa, 2022 and Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2021.

• Ndzube has participated in two artist residencies, namely: Greatmore Artist Residency Studios, Woodstock, Cape Town and Dalton Warehouse, South Central, Los Angeles.

• An example from the edition is in the permanent collection of the Scheryn Collection, Cape Town.

COLLECTIONS:

The artist is represented in numerous local and international collections, notably the Longlati Foundation, Shanghai; Fondation Gandur pour l'Art, Geneva; Musee d’art Contemporain de Lyon; France Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Los Angeles; Pérez Art Museum, Miami; The CC Foundation, Shanghai; HOW Art Museum, Shanghai; Christen Sveeas Collection, Norway; The Denver Art Museum; Museo Kaluz, Mexico City; Rubell family collection, Miami; Rupert Museum, Cape Town; University of Cape Town; Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town; Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA), Cape Town and the A4 Foundation, Cape Town.