There’s a world of subterranean pain in Justine Mahoney’s quirky sculptures

Justine Mahoney's bronzes are intriguing. Created through a mash-up of imagery rooted in African mythology and glazed with iconic pop rhetoric, the 10 figures and corresponding collages of her first solo show, 'Tainted', are informed through her upbringing in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg.

"The experience of growing up in South Africa during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s was extremely schizophrenic and it is from this period that I gather elements of inspiration," says the artist.

"I have a large collection of imagery from those decades which mimic my memories, and which I turn into portraits that reflect this multifariousness.

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"From these hack-and-bash collages, seemingly teenage in nature, I use clay to re-form the past and recall fears, dreams, nightmares and aspirations."

These figures are then cast in bronze and hand-painted. They're multi-layered. There's a shiny, cyborg feel to them and yet they're inherently hand-made and imbued with the artists's physical and emotional self.

Heronie, one of the series, stands at 25cm, and is semi-autobio-graphical.

"I used to roller-skate a lot, listening to old-school punk," she says. "Although I think I was completely oblivious to what was happening in South Africa at the time, I know internally that I did see what was going on."

Her relationship with her caretaker, Lizzy Maema, is also explored. Through her nanny's storytelling she gained a deeper understanding of African mysticism and symbolism, as well as a first-hand account of the reality of the apartheid era in which she lived.

"At the time, growing up during apartheid in the leafy suburbs of Johannesburg, the realities of the political environment were swept under the rug," she says.

"However, when scratching the surface, sinister truths emerged, revealing a world of fear, pain and anger."

A departure from her first show, Innocence, which she says was sugar-coated, Tainted is definitely darker. None of her dolls have eyes.

"I think most of the people who are drawn to my work have a similar history or experience to me," she adds. "They've grown up in South Africa and are around the same age."

The 10 pieces are each created in a series of 10, the first of which was sold out before the Cape Town show opened last year.

"I was very lucky I had a buyer who saw the potential of my work and bought the full first series before it was completed," she explains. "Without him I would not have been able to put the show together."

Fortunately the patron has loaned this first series and it's on show together with her collages from May 4 to July 1 at Southern Guild's Johannesburg Gallery.

• Visit southernguild.co.za for more information.

• This article was originally published in The Times.