{"product_id":"xhosa-woman-intombi-i","title":"Xhosa Woman, Intombi I","description":"\u003cp\u003eUnframed 146 x 97 x 0.1 cm\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eFramed 150 x 100 x 5 cm\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eNot signed by artist.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIn the words of the renowned African America author, poet and social critic, James Baldwin, ‘not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003echanged until it is faced’. Like Baldwin, Tony Gum believes that only when we examine such pervasive constructs like identity, race, gender and so on, can we\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003ecreate opportunity for better understanding and growth. She fundamentally believes in the importance of approaching life from a position of knowledge,\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003efacing the ‘truths’ of who, what and why we are, and this ultimately means that we are also free ourselves to evolve as beings. We become more liberated,\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003ewhole and balanced individuals in the world. It is precisely this perspective that has informed the freedom and growth we continue to experience in Tony’s\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eart. This new series sees her returning ’home’ to unearth what it really means to be a Xhosa girl and woman. To do this, she immerses herself in core ‘rites of\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003epassage’, she sits with elders who welcome Tony with open arms, celebrating her genuine interest as young daughter, granddaughter, sister, and female\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003erepresentative of Xhosa culture and people.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThe pieces entitled ‘Intombi I and ‘Intombi II’ depict ‘Intonjane’, the process of transitioning from a girl to a woman. Certain physiological practices like,\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eexposure of the breasts among ‘girls’ – ‘Amatombazana’ a symbolic point of differentiation from ‘abafazi’ or ‘woman’, ‘umfazi’ who will generally wear Xhosa\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eattire from the bosom down. Perhaps the more intimate and personal of her works to date, here Tony recognizes, accepts and celebrates the contrasting\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003edimensions and narratives of life. In this series, Gum portrays the extent to which culture ultimately evolves over time. Integrating the range of human norms,\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003epractices and experiences; culture is essentially a fluid and non-static evolutionary process; the idea that we can take these contemporary and very\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003ecommercial elements and fuse them with what is traditional so that it is relatable to all people. Also, trying to see the everyday young girl, how would she be\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003ein this context of the 21st century, we are always on our phones, self indulged and also self-aware. This is also meant to be fun and playful. Whilst she is busy\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003ewith her self-phone, she is still busy with her chores. She has now come from the river (bucket on head), she is working but is also now busy with the phone.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eBut I like how although she is busy with her phone, she catches someone looking at her at the same time, that awkward moment when you are doing\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003esomething on your phone and you catch someone looking at you....I displayed the Apple symbol openly, to make a statement about about gentrification and\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003ethe impact of contemporary lifestyle, Apple being such a major corporate brand, based on personal experience, I realise how, like my cultural norms and\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003etraditions, the Apple brand also has its traditions, norms and practices, despite adapting different functionalities here and there’.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Local Vendor","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47742707859677,"sku":"tony-gum_xhosa-woman-intombi-i","price":90850.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0747\/7261\/1293\/files\/resize_xhosa_woman_intombi_i_1_9d4e4263-05a3-4757-b277-8e7d2a3b74d9.jpg?v=1775574930","url":"https:\/\/latitudes.online\/products\/xhosa-woman-intombi-i","provider":"Latitudes Online","version":"1.0","type":"link"}