CROSSLEY GALLERY

I did not appreciate or even understand my home until I was not able to return to it. This experience of being disconnected from my family and cultural background is archived in my work. In archiving my experiences, I
explore my childhood memories of dysfunctional familial relationships and Swazi/Xhosa traditional practices.

The images of cow and goat skulls in my paintings and drawings depict ritualistic practices such as the initiation of the Sangoma (Swazi/Zulu traditional diviner), that integrate the animal to help the living commune with ancestral spirits. This integration also represents the symbiotic relationships healers have with their environment.
Familial history and lineage are also reflected on within my prints through the use of drawings and family photographs to archive the experiences of the women in my family from my perspective. These photographs are
printed to evoke ideas around memory and perception. Through these images, I present the viewer with a record of my experiences with my family and country through the lens of ancestral worship and ritual.