Nthabiseng Kekana (b. 1999) stands at the intersection of contemporary art and ancient wisdom. Born and raised in Alexandra, Johannesburg, Kekana has emerged as a distinctive voice in South African art, weaving together her roles as artist and initiated sangoma into a unified practice of spiritual and cultural reclamation. Her journey from the National School of the Arts through fashion design at LISOF to multimedia studies at the University of Johannesburg reflects a path of constant discovery, one that would ultimately lead her back to the ancestral knowledge that informs her most powerful work.
The genesis of Sankofa extends far beyond the studio walls. These works were conceived a year before their creation, a product of the preparatory work required for Kekana’s initiation as a traditional healer. This process demanded that she actively reconnect with lost fragments of her heritage—a deliberate journey that led her to encounter language, culture, and familial connections that had been severed by time and circumstance. The faces she met were both foreign and familiar, strangers who carried features, behaviors, and histories that belonged to her because she belonged to them.
Working from her Johannesburg studio, Kekana employs a deliberately slow and ritualistic approach to creation. Each piece becomes an act of excavation and restoration, built through layers of oil paint, acrylics, charcoal, pastels, and natural fibers.
Through the conceptual framework of Sankofa—the Akan philosophy meaning “go back and fetch”—these works function as acts of retrieval and restoration. They challenge the notion that progress requires abandoning the past, instead proposing that authentic forward movement demands a deliberate return to source. For Kekana, this is not nostalgic romanticism but necessary spiritual work. As she articulates: “Spirit is calling for us to drop all the facades, the distractions, the pretenses and cages that keep us hidden from our true selves.”
In a world that pulls relentlessly toward the future, Sankofa: A Call to Remembrance serves as a deliberate counterweight. The Artist offers these works as vessels. Textured portals that invite personal encounter and individual revelation. These works mirror our subconscious narratives while urging recognition that personal histories are sacred and worthy of preservation.
Open to interpretation each piece carries intention, but once complete, it must find its own destiny in dialogue with those who encounter it.
