CURATOR’S INSIGHTA CONSTELLATION / AMANDA HUNT IN CONVERSATION WITH BILLIE ZANGEWA 3/6 ARTAFRICA
Issues around motherhood and the female body are brought to the fore in
‘A Constellation,’ particularly the way in which these bodies are evaluated
and valued. These issues are as relevant today as they were for Elizabeth
Catlett (1915-2012), who depicted the experiences of African American
women throughout her artistic lifetime, or in the material (and political)
concerns as represented by Harlem-born artist and activist Faith Ringgold.
Malawian-born, South Africa-based artist Billie Zangewa is a counterpart
to these works, exploring similar experiences in a contemporary context.Amanda Hunt spoke with Billie Zangewa, uncovering some of the
challenges, processes and influences around her artistic practice and
how this helps form her work.Amanda Hunt: How and when did you come into working with textiles
and, particularly, silk?Billie Zangewa: I came into it out of necessity. I studied printmaking and after
graduating, I had no access to a studio in my hometown of Gaborone, so I
couldn’t practice. This prompted me to pursue a medium that would give me
the freedom to work anywhere. I had always been interested in fashion and
richly-textured surfaces, which I attribute to working with beautiful, rich paper
in printmaking. When I came upon Dupion silk, it was love at first sight. I
was limited by financial restraints, so I started working with sample squares
collected at interior design stores. When I assembled these squares together
they reminded me of the façades of the buildings in the Johannesburg CBD
and this was the beginning of my journey with silk.What is your process? You produce such painterly tapestries and capture
physical anatomy so well.I begin with a mental picture of a dramatic scene inspired by a personal
experience. This is followed by image research where I gather up all the
elements that will make up the narrative. When I have all the images, I proceed
with the pencil drawing on newsprint, the template from which the silk shapes
are cut. These cut-outs are then pinned onto a silk background. Once I have
cut and pinned all the elements, I begin sewing them together. What is not
obvious in the final silk tapestry is that the template drawing is made up of a
collage of images assembled into one drawing. Through trial and error, I have
learned that this stage has to be completely resolved before I start cutting so
as to avoid creative complications later. The detailing comes right at the end
where I do the last bit of drawing and cutting. Logistically it works best to do
it this way.Curator Q&A: Amanda Hunt in Conversation with Billie Zangewa