Stevenson is pleased to present ‘iNtwasahlobo’, a solo exhibition of paintings by Simphiwe Ndzube. For his first exhibition in Johannesburg since 2021, Ndzube presents intimately scaled paintings on linen. iNtwasahlobo translates from isiXhosa as ‘spring’, referencing the central motifs and experiments with colour that characterise this body of work. Across this series, female figures are seen in surreal landscapes – watering plants, tending to soil and, most frequently, enjoying inqawe, a traditional smoking pipe typically reserved for ritual use among matriarchs. Simphiwe Ndzube states, ‘To sit and smoke is like breathing and relaxing, reflecting. It’s a place to contemplate, observe and share.’
The magical-realist pastoral scenes in ‘iNtwasahlobo’ are rendered in vivid, even lurid tones and are populated by enigmatic figures verging on the grotesque. Where ‘After Rain Songs’, Ndzube’s previous exhibition, articulated the tensions of a nation contending with freedom – rainbows juxtaposed with flames – ‘iNtwasahlobo’ is the world that follows, burning in different ways. If the fire in ‘After Rain Songs’ scorched all it touched, here, in Ndzube’s new spring, it is contained and used to signal an evolution.
In ‘Ndinibukele’, a river of fire and water runs around the relaxed smoking figure who, undisturbed by the mixing of these elements, merely pets a cat in response. ‘iNtwasahlobo’ probes the complexities of change, growth and renewal, creating the necessary space for contemplation that follows tension. The setting however is no utopia, still holding an element of haunting with figures who keep their eyes closed, and lurking shadows in the background. Instead of the sculptural elements Ndzube often brings into play, these paintings offer a sustained engagement with texture and perspective, using organic forms and colour to give the impression of a layered landscape.
Simphiwe Ndzube (b. 1990, Cape Town, South Africa) lives and works in Los Angeles, CA and Cape Town. He received his BFA from the Michaelis School of Fine Arts at the University of Cape Town in 2015. Ndzube’s work is characterised by a fundamental interplay between objects, media and two-dimensional surfaces; stitching together a subjective account of the Black experience in post-apartheid South Africa from a mythological perspective.
Recent solo exhibitions include the following: ‘Mademoiselle Road’ at Stevenson in Cape Town (2022); ‘Vusamazulu I Awakening the Heavens’ at Nicodim in New York (2021); as well as ‘Oracles of the Pink Universe’ at Denver Art Museum in Denver (2021). His work is collected by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Denver Art Museum; Musée d’art Contemporain de Lyon, France; and Iziko South African National Gallery, South Africa, among others.
‘iNtwasqhlobo’ opened on the 8th of February at 10am where Ndzube give a walkabout of the exhibition. It will be open until the 20th of March 2025. Click here to view Stevenson’s catalogue.
