An interview with Sifiso Mkhabela

Published 11 March 2024 in Artists Interviews

By Nolan Stevens

As the curator of the Deconstructed series of month-long solo exhibitions, I caught up with Sifiso Mkhabela ahead of the opening of his solo exhibition, Concrete Cocoon, to find out about his process ahead of the April showcasing. 

Sifiso will be opening the Deconstructed solo exhibition series that strips down each artist’s practice to their bare bones, allowing them to experiment with different mediums  and processes.

The artist and Asisebenze curator Alan Stevens discuss his works

This is what Sifiso had to share:

Nolan Stevens: Most of the artists here and most of your clients would know you as a sculptor, am I right? I’m asking because I’m trying to figure out if the clients coming to see this exhibition would view it as an incredibly different showcasing of what they’re used to seeing?

Sifiso Mkhabela: Not necessarily. Because I see myself as an artist that is constantly changing, shifting and adjusting (the way I work).

Artist Sifiso Mkhabela who will be inaugurating the 'Deconstructed' series of solo shows at Asisebenze.

NS: So how are you changing in this exhibition, what is the central theme connecting the works on the upcoming show?

SM:  I want to speak about a journey. Going from one point to another, but also somehow place it within the city of Johannesburg. This exhibition will be about life in this city and how it is being at the beginning of your journey to that point where you finally see a way through the hardship and difficulty. Think of it like a map – but I want to include a little bit of politics.

NS: With this exhibition exploring moving from one point to another, what are the points you are moving from specifically in the city?

SM: For me it’s more of a subsistence kind of an issue; moving towards a more sustainable position as an artist.

Sifiso Mkhabela at work on his works for the month-long solo exhibit starting in April.

NS: So, are the bits of text that appear in some works, like the ‘COVID’ in this piece, is it a possible stumbling block or obstacle stopping you from achieving your goal?

SM: What I’m doing here is unpacking the last two or three years. Because I lost a studio and all my equipment during COVID, so I had to start from scratch and this is me scratching right now. I want to use this opportunity to bounce back.

NS: Can you tell me a bit more about the politics you want to incorporate into this exhibition?

SM: The politics I’m referring to is in terms of the state of the nation, how it’s affecting all of us and the elections that are coming. I’ve already started touching on the political parts I want to talk about in a few works.

NS: Judging from the works that are already around us in your studio now, would it be fair to say that you will mostly be presenting work that is two-dimensional for this exhibition?

SM: Yes, right now I wouldn’t like to over promise anything. Right now the works I am making are two-dimensional, but who knows what will happen tomorrow or next week.

NS: Lastly, what is it that you would like people to leave with after seeing and experiencing this exhibition?

SM: Basically, I would like this exhibition to give you a sense of no matter how hard things are, no matter how dark you think your tunnel is, there’s always light at the end and you can always bounce back from anything.