“As humans, we are in a perpetual state of metamorphosis, continually evolving alongside our fluid minds and fleeting memories.”
Bambolwami Sibiya (born 1986) is a Gauteng-based artist, trained in design and printmaking. As a student, Sibiya was encouraged to develop his personal content through cultural and art-historical research, as well as through participation in social advocacy programmes. Sibiya found himself drawn to the social realists and began to etch poignant compositions of his own versions of poverty in his local community. He began drawing his figures from photographs he had taken, showing how families survive in poverty. Encouraged by his patron and teachers, Sibiya starting seeking out subjects that were still familiar, but more hopeful in their outlook.
His subsequent themes, based loosely on the experience of his mother, led to a very accomplished series concerning single mothers as heads of their households. Many of Sibiya’s prints depict mothers as the central and most elevated figure in his compositions, conveying the message that, despite hardship and unemployment, women still manage to find ways to feed their families, nurture and protect their children, and keep their families in relative security. In later works, Sibiya shifted his focus to the lifestyle that developed around migrant communities. His style and technique gained a steady level of sophistication.
For Sibiya, his most recent series “is an immersive exploration that delves into the depths of my personal struggles, both mental and emotional, while embracing the enduring effects of trauma, and their profound impact on memory and psychosis. This body of work represents an intricate unraveling, a meticulous dissection, and a profound assimilation of childhood memories, whose imprint upon our behavior as adults can range from subtle nuances to profound transformations.
Serving as a testament to the human psyche itself, this collection aims to document its intricate complexities, while critically examining my own perceptions of the world. As time weaves its intricate tapestry, memories begin to blur, the fine details dissipating, but the essence of the broad strokes and, most significantly, the intense emotions felt at their inception, persist. Infused with deliberate graininess, my images undergo a transformative shift in texture, assuming a timeless quality akin to evanescent snapshots of dreams, or fragments of distant memories and vivid imaginations.
Amidst the chaos of existence, how can we discern the delicate fissures of our own minds, how do we ever know when our minds are breaking apart – or is there so much sensory overload that we are glitching? These probing questions serve as guiding compasses, illuminating my artistic exploration, directing me not toward definitive answers, but rather toward the ever-unfolding mysteries. As humans, we are in a perpetual state of metamorphosis, continually evolving alongside our fluid minds and fleeting memories.”
