Bag Factory Artists' Studios | I've known rivers

Bag Factory Artists’ Studios is pleased to present a solo exhibition by 2023 Cassirer Welz Award recipient: Bulumko Mbete.

The Bag Factory is delighted to announce the 2023 Cassirer Welz Award Recipient, Bulumko Mbete’s solo exhibition, entitled: I’ve known rivers.

In the past three months of her residency at the Bag Factory, Mbete has explored new ways of working with textiles through researching and trialling different techniques. In this exhibition, the artist establishes an expanding visual language as she makes a departure from her iconic blanket and bead soft sculptures, by presenting new experiments comprised of installation, wood, and textile-based artworks. Although aesthetically distinct from her previous oeuvre, the marrow of the thematics explored within her artistic practice are present and expanded upon in this exhibition. She writes: ‘My project endeavours to document and archive the anecdotes of “ordinary people” and their encounters with South Africa's rich and poignant history. I am reflecting on the intersection of issues such as labour, migration, economy, sustainability, ethical forms of creation, gender and feminism, social origin, and social use.’

The title of the exhibition is taken from a poem by Langston Hughes entitled ‘The Negro Speaks of Rivers’, celebrating and recognising the multitudinous nature of Black histories. Hughes references historically significant rivers as symbolic representations of the continuity of Black history.

History remains a prevalent component in the Mbete’s presentation of I’ve known rivers. The artist unpacks its layers by her subject matter, materials and the processes used in creating artworks. This is done by exploring the psychogeography of her own familial history of migration, and her engagement with archive material such as family photographs and inherited clothing.

The shows runs from 22 July to 18 August 2023.