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Bubu Ogisi and Mbali Dhlamini
Nigeria/South Africa

Bubu Ogisi (b. 1987) and Mbali Dhlamini (b. 1990) are prominent contemporary African multidisciplinary artists and researchers whose individual and collaborative practices explore materiality, decolonization, and indigenous knowledge systems. Working at the intersection of textiles, archival research, and spiritual philosophy, their artistic synergy bridges West and South African histories. Together, their work forms a dynamic material dialogue that reclaims pre-colonial narratives and challenges Eurocentric aesthetic standards across the global contemporary art landscape.

Bubu Ogisi, a Lagos-born fibre artist and Creative Director of the wearable art label I AM I S I G O, creates gravity-defying textile installations that transform organic and upcycled fibers into "memory banks". Conversely, South African visual researcher Mbali Dhlamini conducts tactile and discursive investigations into spiritual practices, language, and ancestral landscapes. Her acclaimed work, including her recent explorations at TEDxJohannesburg, reworks colonial imagery and explores the socio-cultural lifecycle of indigenous plants and textiles—most notably the sacred significance of the ancient indigo plant.

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Bubu Ogisi and Mbali Dhlamini

Bubu Ogisi (b. 1987) and Mbali Dhlamini (b. 1990) are prominent contemporary African multidisciplinary artists and researchers whose individual and collaborative practices explore materiality, decolonization, and indigenous knowledge systems. Working at the intersection of textiles, archival research, and spiritual philosophy, their artistic synergy bridges West and South African histories. Together, their work forms a dynamic material dialogue that reclaims pre-colonial narratives and challenges Eurocentric aesthetic standards across the global contemporary art landscape.

Bubu Ogisi, a Lagos-born fibre artist and Creative Director of the wearable art label I AM I S I G O, creates gravity-defying textile installations that transform organic and upcycled fibers into "memory banks". Conversely, South African visual researcher Mbali Dhlamini conducts tactile and discursive investigations into spiritual practices, language, and ancestral landscapes. Her acclaimed work, including her recent explorations at TEDxJohannesburg, reworks colonial imagery and explores the socio-cultural lifecycle of indigenous plants and textiles—most notably the sacred significance of the ancient indigo plant.

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