Artist imagines a futuristic Africa
“Through ISINTU, we start seeing what is possible in Africa with the art and its subject matter.”
These are the words of artist Viwe Mfaku, who recently launched his online exhibition, called ISINTU Season 2, as a follow up from his first exhibition, ISINTU Season 1, at the Onyx Hotel.
Isintu is an isiXhosa and isiZulu word that translates, in simple terms, as someone’s essence or culture.
Mfaku said his art movement seeks to reconnect with and celebrate indigenous African knowledge systems. “Isintu could be in the way people speak their language, the way they eat, how they gather or how they dress or decorate their space.”
Mfaku, who lives in Foreshore, grew up in Gcuwa in the Eastern Cape in a Xhosa family, and showed artistic aptitude from a young age. He said there were traces of creative people in his family who never sought formal art training and pursued conventional professions like education, medicine and law enforcement.
“Inspite of that I was always surrounded by art at home through oil painting, sculptures, photography, ornaments and fashion. Both my mother and father are collectors of beautiful things.”
Trained as a visual designer, Mfaku established himself as a commercial and visual artist working with local and international brands in the advertising industry, and on sets of movies and series and events. Needing an artistic outlet beyond the busy boardroom, he has moved more into other creative streams.
ISINTU: Season 1, an Afro sci-fi exhibition was introduced in 2022. While Season 1 focused predominantly on digital prints and one mixed media canvas, for his new body of work - seven in total - Mfaku has used oil painting with deep hues of red and pink, which create warmth and energy.
He said his artistic style was contemporary art - “layered...I’m a deep thinker,” he said.
“I love complex topics presented simply and authentically.
“What makes it unique? It is intentionally looking to rethink Africa from concept, to canvas to real life.”
He said he enjoys imagery that has a message. “The message my art communicates is our collective aspiration: A better Africa. I love Africa, and the more I travel, the more that passion for the continent grows.
“We have big gaps that need to be addressed to really and truly live to see the potential that we are all aware of but too distracted to accomplish.”
He said ISINTU came about from a frustration with how Africanness could be packaged in mainstream media. “The main issue is that we were late in digitising Africa and documenting our own stories. So I started observing how I could address this frustration that we have all identified through my art. And I landed in the future, forward thinking.”
In many ways it is an evolution of our sophisticated knowledge systems through science fiction, he said.
His paintings speak to themes including ancestors, and what it would be like to meet android versions of them; the isiXhosa rite of passage, using Qula - an ancient form of stick fighting, where the boys must fight a master robot to become a man; and women wearing traditional African headdress perched atop a space helmet; among others.
He said he hoped the exhibition will give viewers a sense of self love and a new or reinforced appreciation for Africa.
ISINTU: Season 2 also challenges the western ideals that permeate everyday African life. “This hopeful vision of alternate African reality challenges the stereotypical portrayal of the continent and empowers viewers to dream of a more vibrant tomorrow.”
The artworks can be viewed on www.viwemkafu.art