Inside the studio: A conversation with Siphamandla Ex

The process of conceptualising an exhibition is often a dynamic exchange between the artist and curator, where ideas are tested, refined, and reimagined.

In preparation for the upcoming DECONSTRUCTED exhibition, I sat down with Siphamandla Ex in his studio, a space brimming with creative energy and the beginnings of what will soon be on display. Our conversation was a true back-and-forth, reflecting the collaborative nature of bringing a show to life. 

Nolan Stevens: You do understand what the DECONSTRUCTED exhibitions downstairs are attempting to do, right? The main thing was to break down everybody’s practice to its fundamental point, as in what’s the core idea of the work you’re doing. 

Siphamandla, amidst the pressures of multiple ongoing projects, shared his thoughts. 

Siphamandla Ex: To be honest, I can’t, right now I can’t experiment (chuckles), I have a lot of work; I have this show, I have to produce three works with those canvases that you see there for a group show at Lizamore Gallery in the same month. 

Despite the tight schedule, his commitment to exploring the deeper concepts of his work was evident. 

NS: What is it you would like your DECONSTRUCTED exhibition to be about? 

SE: I was thinking of exploring an idea connected to the way I work. For example, with my canvases, I work from dark to light. So, I was thinking of working around the idea of God creating from dark to light. Another thing is I wanted this show to be in Nguni. I wrote down a few exhibition title ideas. 

His response opened the door to further exploration of how these themes could be visually represented in the exhibition. 

NS: Imagine if you used this black canvas background as an animation backdrop for a projection where the plant life and figures you paint gradually reveal themselves. This is what I mean by experimentation. The suggestions I make are all presented within your practice. My job here as the curator is to see how we could elevate and make this a process you as the artist enjoy as much as the viewers who come to see the show.

This sparked new ideas for Siphamandla. 

SE: Okay, I see what you mean… I wanted to invite poets and writers too, just for them to come up with a different perspective to how my work is seen. Specifically related to the plants and figures in my work. 

Our discussion moved into how these collaborations could add another layer of meaning to the exhibition. 

NS: With the poets that you’ll be collaborating with, will they only be performing on the opening night, or did you have other plans for how this collaboration would take place? 

SE: I think during the opening they could perform live, but not something long, something short and sweet. Something that would go straight to the point. I want the show to be emotional rather than about happiness. 

NS: If that’s the case, I would suggest this, because it seems to me that the poetry aspect is quite an important part of this show, I would suggest, that opening night you have the live component of these poetic performances, and then for the rest of the show you record that so for the rest of the exhibition run you have an audio piece of those performances. 

SE: Yeah, I like that; actually, it would have been nice to have a particular poem that relates to one piece, and have the poets really go all in on one piece. 

NS: That gives me a really cool idea, what if we have QR codes next to each work, with a different poem for each work; that way people can scan the code and listen to each poem as they take in the artwork. 

SE: I also wanted to try something with this work; but I’m not sure if it’s okay to do. I wanted to have a poet write about this work, but write about how they view white people, in vernac(ular). 

NS: That’s not out of line. I saw a video once where they were talking about the origin of the word for white people in their language, here, it’s Mlungu, but there it’s a word that sounds like Mlungu but means something like “People who are lost, but who are also always searching for something.” From the indigenous people of that region, they saw it as these people coming to their country and always searching for things. So that’s how they get that name for white people in that region. I thought that was a beautiful story. 

SE: In isiZulu when you say the whole description, it’s kind of like when you’re peeking from the side of a window. It’s like someone who’s hiding but also looking for something. 

NS: That’s so similar, I love that. Your exhibition could explore all of these kinds of themes because you are using that departure point of the blackness of your canvas, which relates to creation but then also offshoots into blackness. I personally don’t think there’s any reason why this exhibition shouldn’t explore these subjects. 

NS: If you’ve thought this much about the DECONSTRUCTED exhibition, have you started on any works yet? 

SE: Yes, it’s the works that you see on the walls and this pile here (on the floor). Because there are seven walls to use within the space. 

NS: So, all these are the works that you’re intending to show in your DECONSTRUCTED exhibition? 

SE: Yes, they’re not finished, I still need to sketch out that one over there. I think I’ll have around eight works in all. 

NS: Great, and that’s including the potential of a video piece and some audio pieces, right? 

SE: Yes. 

NS: Have you factored in the wall capacity of the gallery space? 

SE: I actually went down to the gallery and measured the gallery walls. Each work already has a place I’ve found for it in the gallery. 

NS: You’ll be working with black paper and black canvas; and what will your mediums be? 

SE: Yes, only on black. Acrylic and metallic colour paints will be my mediums. 

NS: Okay, lastly explain your collaboration with Tanya. If your exhibition is all about blackness, why is the one person you’re collaborating with, a white woman? 

SE: I think that’s what will make people talk. It’s something that will make people think.