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'Speaking to the future': Billie Zangewa's 'Field of Dreams' represents a departure from her recent figurative compositions
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The South African artist Billie Zangewa fuses the beauty of humanity and nature through hand-stitched collage.
Open at Site Santa Fe, the show 鈥淔ield of Dreams鈥� showcases these intricate works made of a material created through the transformation as the byproduct of chrysalis construction. The exhibition will hang through Feb. 12.
鈥淔ield of Dreams鈥� represents a departure from Zangewa鈥檚 recent figurative compositions that centered on domestic life. After spending two years in pandemic lockdown, the artist shifted her focus to the gravity of the human condition and the interconnectivity of all living things.
鈥淭here鈥檚 this universal relationship in her work of motherhood, sisterhood and friendship that connects us all,鈥� said Brandee Caoba, Site curator. 鈥淵ou can engage with it as a beautiful object, or you can connect to it in your own way. They鈥檙e very intimate and personal.鈥�
Born in Malawi, Zangewa lives and works in Johannesburg, South Africa. She fell into silk work by happenstance.
鈥淪he said what she was seeking found her,鈥� Caoba said.
Zangewa studied printmaking in college, but couldn鈥檛 afford the pricey equipment needed afterward. She was living with her father at the time, who forbid her to paint at home.
She stumbled into silk while attending a fabric show with an interior designer friend. The organizers gave away silk swatches.
'Speaking to the future': Billie Zangewa's 'Field of Dreams' represents a departure from her recent figurative compositions
鈥淭hose swatches were all muted tones, so she started doing cityscapes 鈥� portraits of Johannesburg,鈥� Caoba said. 鈥淪he could work with it anywhere.鈥�
Her subjects moved to more interior landscapes and scenes of domestic life.
鈥淎 Place in the Sun鈥� shows her favorite South African beach. The pair of tiny figures represent Zangewa and her son Mika.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e kind of engulfed by the land itself and paying homage to nature is humbling,鈥� Caoba said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 working with very organic shapes. She says she never throws anything away. She has baskets full of scrappy stuff.鈥�
鈥淪ea of Love鈥� is a silk collage of Zangewa鈥檚 son Mika sleeping beneath waves of silk.
鈥淪ource Energy鈥� reveals the artist鈥檚 feet beneath a landscape of hills and ocean. The water is a constant source of renewal.
鈥淯nder African Skies鈥� shows the Johannesburg cityscape above a group of children playing cricket in a field. Zangewa seems to be saying that children are oblivious to race and skin tone.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e just playing,鈥� Caoba said. 鈥淢any of the works are bringing us closer to the idea of universal love.鈥�
鈥淓lement鈥� is a portrait of Zangewa in a pool, her element of choice, a place of refreshment and love.
The show also calls attention to the sociopolitical challenges facing societies today.
鈥淪he鈥檚 talking about unity,鈥� Caoba said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 talking about love; she鈥檚 talking about womanhood. She鈥檚 showing private scenes of feminism.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a beautiful collection of the people in her country,鈥� Caoba continued. 鈥淪he鈥檚 speaking to the future of humanity and the landscape.鈥�
