Abongile Sidzumo

Abongile Sidzumo, born in 1996 in Cape Town, is an emerging South African artist recognized for his use of leather offcuts and repurposed materials to create thought-provoking works that examine humanity, coexistence, and our connection with nature. A graduate of the Michaelis School of Fine Arts (2019), Sidzumo draws inspiration from personal memories, spaces he has inhabited, and the daily lives of marginalized communities. His practice is rooted in the idea of healing trauma, specifically reflecting on the experiences of black communities during and after apartheid in South Africa.

Sidzumo’s work delves into the symbolic meaning of leather, a material often associated with luxury, wealth, and power. Through his meticulous process of re-stitching and weaving, he encourages viewers to rethink the value of repurposed materials. His practice becomes a metaphor for the healing and restoration of black communities, focusing on the continuous journey of recovery in post-apartheid South Africa.

Sidzumo works with leather offcuts and repurposed materials to create works that reflect and interrogate humanity, the way we co-exist and our relationship with nature; he re- visits memories and connects them to spaces he has lived in as well as the everyday life of marginalised communities. Leather is often associated with luxury, wealth and power. Through his process of res- tichting and weaving this precious material, Sidzumo is proposing that we start thinking about repurposed materials, connecting it and his process of stitching to notions of heal- ing trauma that has been inflicted on black communities during apartheid, in a sense, his practice also functions as a manner of interrogating the continuous healing of black communities in post-apartheid South Africa.

In 2020, Sidzumo was awarded the Blessing Ngobeni Art Prize, which led to his solo exhibition at the Everard Read Gallery in Johannesburg. His work was also featured in "We’ve come to take you home," an exhibition of newly acquired works by the University of Cape Town. The same year, he was a runner-up for the Cassirer Welz Award, hosted by Strauss & Co auctioneers. Sidzumo has participated in several group exhibitions, including "A Cloud" and "The Oasis" in 2021, curated by Studio Nxumalo Contemporary. His most recent recognition includes the Gerald Sekoto Award as part of the Absa L’Atelier 2021. He continues to live and work in Cape Town.