Ande Magoso
Durban based fine artist Ande Magoso was born in Kokstad (1997), moved to
Umzimkhulu then later to Kwa-Ngcolosi, in Kwa-Zulu Natal at the age of 6.
Having a Zulu father and a Xhosa mother then growing up in a Zulu
predominated community made him understand both isiZulu and isiXhosa, but
it also lead to him mixing the two languages when speaking. This would then
cause confusion and misunderstanding when he spoke to pure Zulu people
that did not know isiXhosa. Growing up in village with a dam, unchartered
forests, hills and is still ruled by a chief is all what Ande draws his colour palette
from.
Artist Statement
My work focuses the idea of duality and the relationship formed when two correlated
subjects are positioned in a certain way. My focus on this notion is influenced by how
there are paired up elements within my identity. These pair of elements include my
paternal and maternal cultural background, growing up speaking a blend of two
languages, coming from a religious family that still practice cultural traditions, and also
being a twin. I express this concept by fusing human figures with goat and sheep
features. This is because goats are typically used in Zulu rituals whereas sheep are
often used in Xhosa rituals. I use my work to reflect on the relationships between these
opposing components within my identity, but mostly other contrasting subjects and
ideas in society in general.
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