In the era of a rapid global change, South African artists are engaging in profound explorations of identity, cultural heritage and transformation. The ArtbankSA’s contemporary collection presents a remarkable ensemble of works that, while diverse in media and subject matters, jointly examine the complex interplay between tradition and modernity, belonging and displacement, and the artistic individual experience within broader sociocultural contexts.
The relationship between cultural identity and nation-building within institutional collecting practices cannot be overlooked or underestimated. As Innocentia Jabulisile Mhlambi observes, “Art and culture are integral to the formation of a national identity in South Africa, particularly in the aftermath of apartheid. The arts serve as a reflection of a people’s way of life and contribute significantly to the collective imagination necessary for effective policy formulation and social cohesion” (Mhlambi et al. 2021: 28).
A distinctive characteristic of ArtbankSA is its unique institutional position—neither gallery nor museum—which enables it to play a pivotal role in both nurturing contemporary South African artists and addressing historical collecting imbalances that persist in South African art museums and galleries. This dual function positions ArtbankSA as a significant intervention in the post-apartheid cultural landscape, actively redressing representational inequities while simultaneously supporting emerging artistic voices.
This article examines the unique artistic perspectives of Primrose Charmz, Rampedi Molefe, Gilbert Maepa and Audrey Anderson that underscore the importance of diversity within the ArtbankSA’s contemporary collection. Through analysis of their distinctive approaches to cultural preservation, domestic space, technological integration and urban environments, this study gives insight into how these artists collectively contribute to ongoing dialogues about South African identity in a transformative sociopolitical landscape.
The thread of cultural preservation through artistic interventions
Primrose Charmz’s textile works honouring the Nama and San people serve as an entry point to the thematic exploration of cultural intervention and preservation. With her artwork The Nama People, Namibia, Charmz pays homage to traditional attire that has evolved as a creative response to colonial hardships. The patchwork-like designs in her oeuvre function as poignant reminders of the colonial oppression and marginalization these indigenous communities endured. Her distinctive methodology—hand-woven embroidery with yarn—complements her conceptual framework by emphasizing the patchwork designs characteristic of Nama clothing, which originated from their pragmatic tradition of repairing worn garments. Through this approach, Charmz navigates the complex intersection of art, culture and social justice for historically marginalized indigenous groups, thereby reframing their experiences through a contemporary lens.
Charmz’s The San People: Indigenous Hunter-Gatherers, Southern Africa #_1, meticulously threads cultural narratives of the San peoples onto canvas and elevates traditional craftsmanship into powerful, vibrant representations, which incorporate rock art symbols and indigenous designs while abstractly representing the environmental context of the Kalahari Desert. These works demonstrate how cultural practices adapt and persist, becoming repositories of identity even through periods of adversity.
By embracing traditional artisanal techniques predominantly associated with women’s labour, Charmz engages with the reclamation and recontextualization of craft practices as forms of cultural preservation and resistance. Her work demonstrates particular interest in the cultural identities of the Nama and San peoples, the materiality of their distinctive lifeways, and how these elements integrate into visual culture as both communicative method and sacred tradition, emphasizing their intimate connection to the natural environment.
Embroidery and yarn work have long been integral to the cultural expressions of various indigenous groups, including the San and Nama peoples of Southern Africa. As Seiko Jose noted, “These textile practices are not merely artistic endeavors; they embody the history, beliefs, and social structures of the communities that produce them. Indigenous textiles often utilize natural materials such as cotton, raffia, and wool, and are created through traditional techniques like hand weaving, dyeing, and embroidery. The colors and patterns used in these textiles carry significant cultural symbolism, reflecting the identity and heritage of the makers” (Jose et al. 2022: 283).
Through her artistic practice, Charmz creates compelling narratives about the sacred traditions of the Nama and San peoples, weaving them into the consciousness of viewers. Her work symbolizes not only these hallowed customs but also represents the environmental contexts of these communities through abstract patterns rendered in her vibrantly chromatic artworks.
This dialogue between cultural preservation and evolution continues in Gilbert Maepa’s work, Tša Bogadi (2019).
In examining contemporary artistic responses to cultural preservation in Southern Africa, the works of Primrose Charmz and Gilbert Maepa offer persuasive and complementary perspectives. While utilizing different media and visual languages, both artists engage with the complex interplay between traditional cultural elements and current realities, creating a nuanced dialogue about identity, heritage and adaptation in modern Southern African societies.
Where the artists diverge most notably is in their approach to modernization and cultural evolution. Charmz employs traditional craft techniques—specifically hand-woven embroidery with yarn—to honour indigenous artisanal practices. Her methodology directly connects to the historical patchwork designs of Nama clothing and incorporates San rock art symbols, creating works that function as contemporary extensions of traditional practices. Her approach emphasizes continuity and reclamation, positioning craft as resistance.
In contrast, Maepa directly addresses cultural evolution through visual juxtaposition. In Tša Bogadi, he portrays the coexistence of tradition and modernity by depicting a woman in traditional attire illuminated by the glow of her cell phone. Rather than presenting tradition as static or in opposition to modernity, Maepa illustrates their synthesis—showing how cultural identity persists while adapting to contemporary tools and contexts.
Displacement and belonging
Rampedi Molefe’s striking painting, Gathering for Tales of Distant Adventures, portrays a woman engaged in contemplative reading upon a sofa. The artist’s meticulous attention to detail is particularly noteworthy in this composition. The subject appears at peace, her discarded shoes on the floor while her feet remain comfortably ensconced in socks—a subtle signifier of domestic tranquility. Most remarkable is Molefe’s masterful rendering of late afternoon sunlight that bathes the woman’s face, effectively emphasizing her centrality within the composition. This radiance is complemented by the presence of birds, delicately positioned on both the couch and the wooden railing behind it, creating a harmonious ecosystem within the domestic space. Molefe’s soft brushstrokes and warm ochre palette complement the serenity of the environment, reinforcing the sanctuary-like quality of the home that envelops the female subject.
Molefe’s approach in this art piece alludes to what Kilroy explains as “painting of the nineteenth century [is] dominated by genre painting: depictions of ordinary people – les gens – primarily in domestic settings. The hearth is in the dominant setting in which comfortable scenes of parents and children are presented. These visual depictions convey stories; generous details and structures evoke readings, typically moralistic ones” (Kilroy 2007: 11). The work of Molefe situates itself firmly within the tradition of contemporary portraiture but also historical painting genres that engage deeply with themes of domesticity, identity and the conceptualization of home as a sacred, introspective space.
Urban reciprocity: Anderson’s external gaze on environmental dialogue
In City Square Meal (JHB) (2020), Audrey Anderson shifts the focus from intimate domesticity to the expansive urban landscape, examining the dynamic interplay between city dwellers and metropolitan environments. Unlike Molefe’s introspective portrayal of home as sanctuary, Anderson’s work directs an outward gaze to the cityscape of Johannesburg, conceptualizing the environment not as backdrop but as an active participant in human experience.
Anderson succinctly articulates this philosophy in her artist statement: “We are part of the environment; we make up an environment even if we are only present in a space for a short while. The environment has an emotional and physical effect on us and us on it” (Anderson 2021). This approach is motivated by the stance Thissen provided by stating that “The specific contribution of the arts to thinking about urban culture and public sphere consists in the problematics it interpolates in such a conceptual focus: who is where and how are they present? This does not imply that these arts necessarily constitute a “critical” discourse in substantive respects. As stated above, narrative clichés similar to those running through urban theories are indeed entertained by the arts. But the different kind of stories about the public sphere that the visual arts give us, effectuate a change in the ontological “register” or “feel” of urban experience” (Thissen et al. 2013: 55).
Through the ink-on-canvas technique, Anderson visually maps the reciprocal relationship between individuals and urban spaces, demonstrating how cityscapes simultaneously shape and are shaped by the human presence and interaction. As Thissen continues, “the visual arts complement urban theory and public sphere theory in representing actual “embodiments” of urban subjectivity and interactions” (Thissen et al. 2013: 55).
City Square Meal (JHB) (2020) invites viewers to reconsider conventional boundaries between self and surroundings, positioning the city as both container and contained. By documenting this environmental dialogue through external observation rather than internal reflection, Anderson’s approach complements and extends the exploration of belonging, creating a theoretical arc from Molefe’s domestic tranquility to the collective experience of urban cohabitation. Anderson’s perspective suggests that cultural identity forms not only within private spaces but also through our negotiations with and contributions to shared public environments.
Conclusion: Art as dialogue
The works of Charmz, Maepa, Molefe and Anderson, though diverse in their approaches and media, collectively demonstrate the multifaceted nature of contemporary South African identity. Charmz’s textile interventions honour indigenous knowledge systems while reclaiming craft as resistance; Maepa’s paintings visualize the synthesis of tradition and technology; Molefe’s intimate domestic scenes explore belonging through the lens of personal sanctuary; and Anderson’s urban perspectives examine the reciprocal relationship between citizens and their shared environments. Through these varied artistic expressions, we witness the complex negotiations between cultural preservation and evolution that characterize South Africa’s post-apartheid cultural landscape.
ArtbankSA’s curatorial and collection strategies bring vision to these dialogues into conversation with each other, creating a meta-dialogue that reflects South Africa’s rich cultural tapestry. This institutional approach exemplifies Mhlambi’s assertion that art and culture are “integral to the formation of a national identity in South Africa”, particularly in how they “contribute significantly to the collective imagination necessary for effective policy formulation and social cohesion” (Mhlambi et al. 2021: 28). By fostering diversity in its collection—not only in artistic representation but also in thematic exploration—ArtbankSA fulfills its unique institutional role of addressing historical collecting imbalances while nurturing contemporary artistic voices.
In this way, the collection transcends mere aesthetic appreciation to become an active participant in South Africa’s ongoing project of cultural transformation and nation-building. The artworks featured in this article represent not only individual creative expressions but also a collective contribution to the society that reimagines itself through the cultural dialogue. As South Africa continues to navigate the complexities of her historical legacies and contemporary challenges, institutions like ArtbankSA and artists like those discussed herein remain essential conversers in the formation of a more inclusive national identity—one that honours diverse traditions while embracing the dynamic possibilities of transformation.
References
Jose, S., Thomas, S., Pandit, P., Pandey, R. & Gupta, V. 2022. Handbook of museum textiles. Volume 1: Conservation and cultural research. Wiley-Scrivener. https://www.perlego.com/book/3791111 (accessed 13.032025)
Kilroy, J. 2007. The nineteenth-century English novel: Family ideology and narrative form. Palgrave Macmillan. https://www.perlego.com/book/3500830 (accessed 18.03.2025)
Mhlambi, I.J., Brooks, H. & Zwane, N. 2021. Reflecting on the role of arts in South Africa’s democratic trajectory: An introduction. In: Mhlambi, I.J. & Ngidi, S. (Eds), Mintirho ya Vulavula: Arts, National Identities and Democracy in South Africa. The Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA), pp. 3-29. https://www.perlego.com/book/2382064 (accessed: 12.03.2025).
Thissen, J., Zwijnenberg, R. & Zijlmans, K. 2013. Contemporary culture: New directions in art and humanities research. Amsterdam University Press. https://www.perlego.com/book/1459062 (accessed 20.03.2025).
