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“The popping colours in my work are to show I don’t want my narrative to be sad”, proclaims Nadine Mathenjwa, a multimedia artist and fashion fanatic. She uses fashion to communicate her sense of being, which also allows her to function as a living archive and embody resistance and spirituality.
Mathenjwa is one of the thousands of visual artists participating in the Open Studios Joburg programme, which will coincide with the RMB Latitudes Art Fair. This is their biggest yet to date as it features 11 spaces full of artists’ studios. The essence of the programme is for the public to have the opportunity to converse with artists, like Mathenjwa, whose studio is located at Ellis House – which features on the second day of the programme.
The in-vogue multi-media artist uses mediums including collage, thread, acrylic paint and her first love; printmaking. These are utilized to create bold, colourful works that speak to her narrative as a young, African, cultured woman in modern society and reflect her sense of style.
She studied art at the Artist Proof Studio and upon her enrolment Mathenjwa found herself surrounded by artists and people that seemed confident in themselves and that encouraged her to start thinking in the same light regarding her appearance. As someone who grew up reserved and lacking confidence especially due to her dark skin tone, this was an awakening of self-esteem and a positive sense of self, she says.
Mathenjwa took an interest in fashion, thrifting in particular. This is a manner of shopping that focuses on second-hand merchandise popular with millennials and genZ. It has also sparked conversations around fashion sustainability. Mathenjwa’s fondness for fashion and thrifting tied in with her growing into her identity. “With good clothing..I’m that girl, you can’t shake my confidence,” she says.
Her work is an extension of herself, her family as well as her culture. This multi-layered thinking feeds into the materials she works with as well as concepts that drive her art. Crocheting is a constant motif in her work - a skill passed on by her mother. Her grandmother was more than happy to share her archive of crocheting magazines. For Mathenjwa, the motif functions as imagery to ‘rope herself into positivity’, centre the self, the black identity and the narratives of her ancestors. With the patterns in her work, especially on the figures, you cannot ignore the element of spirituality they seem to evoke.
Mathenjwa is unusually drawn to the things that exist beyond the physical world and what we sometimes fail to see or comprehend. During her studies, she went out on night escapades with her cousin that opened them to the dangers of Joburg’s nightlife, especially as young women. “My cousin and I were rockstars, we would party hard,” she recalls. What created a sense of comfort and to a certain extent safety, was the belief that their departed great-grandmother, Nokubega, was always walking with them.
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