IN PICS | Andile Dyalvane honours his ancestors by bringing his famed ceramics home
The acclaimed ceramicist's latest works are due to be exhibited in New York, but first they made their debut in a tiny Eastern Cape village
When a Stuttafords Van Lines truck arrived in the tiny village of Ngobozana in the Eastern Cape (population approximately 532) one recent Friday morning, it was met with ululation and dancing.
After a 1,300km journey from Cape Town along potholed roads and winding rural passes, its arrival was no small feat. But the contents were the real cause for celebration: 19 large ceramic sculptures by Cape Town-based artist Andile Dyalvane.
Widely considered one of Africa's foremost ceramicists, Dyalvane was born here and knows the surrounding hillsides, forests and dongas like the back of his hand. He grew up farming and looking after his father's cattle, sewing a deep connection to the land and his Xhosa culture that resonates powerfully through his work today.
His latest exhibition, iThongo — "ancestral dreamscape", his fourth solo show, will open at Southern Guild gallery in Cape Town on December 10, and in New York at Friedman Benda in June 2021. But first — in honour of his ancestors and the community that shaped him — Southern Guild and Dyalvane brought it home.
For two days, the residents of Ngobozana celebrated, remembered, feasted, drank and danced. At the centre of the festivities was Dyalvane: a man of irrepressible energy and generous spirit, whose message of healing and love for his culture unleashed a wave of cultural pride in this remote village.
Image: Adriaan Louw via Southern Guild/Friedman Benda
Image: Adriaan Louw via Southern Guild/Friedman Benda
Image: Adriaan Louw via Southern Guild/Friedman Benda
Image: Adriaan Louw via Southern Guild/Friedman Benda
Image: Adriaan Louw via Southern Guild/Friedman Benda
Image: Adriaan Louw via Southern Guild/Friedman Benda