Mbali Tshabalala: Unveiling the intertwining dance between womanhood and identity through art

Throughout history society has been defining the woman and relentlessly attempting to create who she is. As a consequence of these constructions, both her femininity and personality often dance against each other on the stage to the rhythms of mankind. They are watching her performance. They are judging the quality of her existence. In turn, she watches and judges herself. She questions her presence. Mbali Tshabalala is one such woman who, through the art she creates, has explored her womanhood, uncovered her personhood and searched to find a good balance between culture and the self in society.

In her occupancy of the art space, Tshabalala has accomplished great feats and has paved the way for other artists. She is an artist at the Asisebenze Art Atelier (AAA), where many studios are housed and which is located in Joburg’s inner city. During the Open Studios Joburg programmes, which take place this weekend, Tshabalala’s studio and many others at AAA will be open to the public. 

According to Tshabalala, the atelier is “a platform for artists to create new work, but then also to receive some support”. It is an ever-so-large space that  consists of an art gallery on the first floor. Art studios take up five floors and a penthouse above it all is where some of the artists reside. “A great deal of [the artists] are very much influenced by social and political subject matter, by [their] surroundings, by blackness, by the black experience, [and are very interested in] documenting this era that they’re in,” observes Tshabalala.

She is also a founder of Collective UNTITLD, which she describes as an “artist-led initiative [that] collaborates with a variety of artists” whose works have been showcased in art events such as the Turbine Art Fair between 2019 and 2022. Having catapulted the careers of myriad uniquely talented artists in SA, including Tshabalala herself, we can look forward to the many creative wonders Collective UNTITLD has in store.

In her artistic practice, Tshabalala is exploring ideas about identity as it is etched onto people, especially women, by society. She is uncovering identity of the self as it is felt from within. She is also reconciling the two elements of sociocultural and sociopolitical vs individual formations of identity. For instance, as Tshabalala said, “If you’re black and you’re a woman, it’s so difficult to have any conversation about your identity without it becoming so political. [This political discourse] has been the context in which [people] are defined, and there is no room for [individuals] to search for [their own] ideas to being a human and to expand [their] sense of self.”

She is interested in notions of womanhood, personhood as one understands for oneself, beyond the gamut of political and academic talk. Yet she also acknowledges and embraces the interconnectedness of our cultures with our personal selves, stating: “I also admire the importance of surrendering and becoming an active member of society, owning up to your dharma” and that “it’s important to also understand that you have, to an extent, responsibility to your society, to your elders, to your culture” even in your freedom of self.

In her body of work, Tshabalala positions herself as the subject. She appears to the viewer with her body covered entirely in a blanket and her head wrapped in a doek — the traditional state of dress for respectful daughters-in-law in Black cultures. Taking full charge of the posing and composition, she commissions a photographer to capture her sometimes, but she also takes images of herself with her Canon camera most times. In a way, this reflects an integral part of her work; the idea of being in the eyes of the world and adhering to the customs you value and, on the other hand, seeing the world and yourself through your own eyes.

“I really try to create work that is distinctively feminine,” she said. This is shown in the backgrounds of her art, which represent society, which consists of multiple colours infused into each other. This is best seen in a painting titled Finding Self (2022), which also inspired a poem, where her silhouette is visualised through hazy/pastel shades of pink, yellow, blue and green. In the Presence of Self at the Table of Us (2021), there are touches of red and yellow on the foregrounded silhouette. It is through these colours that Tshabalala represents the shaping of the woman. “There’s a sensitivity with femininity that is associated with pastel colours, that is associated with neutral tones, that is associated with the earth, with nature,” she says.

The shaping of femininity is then followed by the positioning of the woman in society. She is posed in very intentional ways that signify her grace and she is placed at distinct sites on each canvas, which mark her feminine identity. In the painting Umfazi (2022), she is kneeling on the floor with her blanket creating a train behind her, her body is in a side profile pose while her face is turned directly at us. In Finding Self (2022), there are two images in the silhouette submerged within the colours, positioned in different places and with one image in front of the other. Mbali asks crucial questions that many Black women attempt to resolve in their social encounters: “How do we decide how much of society ‘over-washes’ us and how much of ourselves do we apply to society? Am I taking up too much space? Do I have the right to take up space?”

Tshabalala is most excited about the thought of taking art lovers of the city through her artistic layering and printmaking process on May 28, for the Open Studios Joburg programme coinciding with the RMB Latitudes Art Fair. In a lot of ways, her process speaks wholly to her artistic intentions. The artistic decision-making and intricate detailing involved in the making of her work reflect the ongoing exploration of her feminine and psychological identity in society. When she was choosing and having the pigments and etching each colour onto the paper, I was reminded of the times I found myself in the mirror wearing my lipstick, carefully considering the voice I will be using and the face I will be bearing when I go out, carefully ensuring I take the right expanse of myself with me.

This text was produced during an independent journalism development project by African Arts Content focused on the Open Studios Joburg programme.

Open Studios Joburg runs from Saturday May 27-Sunday May 28. Tickets cost R55 online or R80 at the door. This includes a shuttle service. Visit www.openstudios.joburg