Umfazi

Unframed 146 x 97 x 0.1 cm l Framed 15 x 100 x 5 cm.

Limited edition of 10. 7 of 10 available.

In Umfazi (“woman” in isiXhosa), Tony Gum explores the meeting point between

tradition and modernity. A Xhosa woman, dressed in ceremonial attire and

carrying firewood through the rural Eastern Cape, holds a makeup brush and

looks directly at the viewer. Her poise captures the balance between ancestral

heritage and the self-aware confidence of contemporary life. Inspired by Gum’s

visit to her ancestral home, the work reflects how African identity continues to

evolve, rooted in tradition, yet alive in the modern world.