Our Artist of the Month for March 2022 is Ande Magoso. We are showcasing his painting titled “uZandisiwe” where he uses acrylic on brown paper. The painting expresses his Xhosa and Zulu background. Zandisiwe (a term that exists in both isiZulu and isiXhosa) is his twin sister’s name. With a Z at the beginning , it means abundance and growth. The name applies in both cultures.

Ande Magoso is a Durban based fine artist. He was born in Kostad (1997), moved to Umzimkhulu then later moved to Kwa-Ngcolosi, in Kwa-Zulu Natal at the age of six. He has been producing art since 2017 which is the same year he earned his certificate in visual arts in 2020 at The BAT Centres Visual Art AIR (Artist in Residency) Programme.

His work directly relates to his personal history in that it explores the idea of duality and balance within some elements of his identity. These pair of elements include his paternal and maternal cultural background and language, religious and cultural tradition.

‘I use my work to reflect on how I have felt the need to balance these dual and opposing elements of my identity and how they have affected my life and made me the person I am today. For instance, having a Zulu father and a Xhosa mother then growing up in a Zulu predominated community, made me feel the need to always remind myself that I am half- Xhosa, in essence balance my use of the Zulu and the Xhosa language,’ he says.

With the use of mixed media including; charcoal, soft pastels and acrylic paint, Ande blends animal characteristics (of goat and sheep since typically, goats are used in Zulu rituals whereas sheep are often used in Xhosa rituals) with human figures. The reason behind this is that he feels that in a way, he has to continue balancing his Xhosa cultural background with his Zulu cultural background.

Bidding for Painting and Artist’s Cards

The painting is for up for auction and people can bid for the painting, bidding starts at R1500 at the start of each month, bidding will close at the end of the month and the person who has the highest bid gets to purchase the painting, the artist will get a further percentage of the sale.

To assist the artist we have reproduced the artwork on a gift card and the artist gets 50% of the profit from the sale of his or her cards. If you love the artist’s work please support them by buying a card they are only R25, and card sales help artists earn a passive income.

Thank you to our Sponsors

Woza Moya Artists wall, we would like to thank the 100% Foundation for coming on board for a 12-month sponsorship and making this monthly event possible. Ande Magoso is the tenth artist, and his work will be featured for the month of March 2022.