Siphiwe Mnguni, A Sudden Tug (001), 2022 (framed)
Oil pastel and collage on paper, 38.5 x 29.5cm
Siphiwe Mnguni's practice navigates the notion of identity whilst exploring the iconography of the black female nude in relation to her own body. Challenging traditional representations of the figure in western art history, Siphiwe's work is also informed by subconscious thought and her own experiences as a young British-Zimbabwean woman living in south east London.
Drawing from life is intrinsic to Siphiwe's work; her images seem to hover between abstraction and figuration. ‘I take photos of myself in weird positions, draw my reflection in the mirror, or ask friends to sit for me on FaceTime. Then, the work transforms itself in the moment – it’s not pre-planned’. Siphiwe often combines oil pastel with collage which, she says, 'has a tactile and playful quality that takes me back to my childhood'. The resulting pictures evoke dancing creatures that seem to shimmy on the page, their limbs suggesting exploratory arial maps of the body. In this new work, a dark background heightens Siphiwe’s luminous palette. Road-like markings including dotted lines and roundabouts lead the viewers’ eye on a journey around the figure.
Siphiwe gained a BA (Hons) in Fashion, Textiles and Interiors at the University for the Creative Arts, Farnham (2012 – 2015) with a focus upon print design. Alongside her artistic practice she currently works full time for the arts and mental health charity Hospital Rooms as a project curator leading workshops and managing large-scale artist commissions in hospitals. She was included in a group exhibition with Tart Gallery, London, in December 2021 and her works on paper are held in several private collections. Siphiwe lives in Forest Hill, south east London.
Oil pastel and collage on paper, 38.5 x 29.5cm
Siphiwe Mnguni's practice navigates the notion of identity whilst exploring the iconography of the black female nude in relation to her own body. Challenging traditional representations of the figure in western art history, Siphiwe's work is also informed by subconscious thought and her own experiences as a young British-Zimbabwean woman living in south east London.
Drawing from life is intrinsic to Siphiwe's work; her images seem to hover between abstraction and figuration. ‘I take photos of myself in weird positions, draw my reflection in the mirror, or ask friends to sit for me on FaceTime. Then, the work transforms itself in the moment – it’s not pre-planned’. Siphiwe often combines oil pastel with collage which, she says, 'has a tactile and playful quality that takes me back to my childhood'. The resulting pictures evoke dancing creatures that seem to shimmy on the page, their limbs suggesting exploratory arial maps of the body. In this new work, a dark background heightens Siphiwe’s luminous palette. Road-like markings including dotted lines and roundabouts lead the viewers’ eye on a journey around the figure.
Siphiwe gained a BA (Hons) in Fashion, Textiles and Interiors at the University for the Creative Arts, Farnham (2012 – 2015) with a focus upon print design. Alongside her artistic practice she currently works full time for the arts and mental health charity Hospital Rooms as a project curator leading workshops and managing large-scale artist commissions in hospitals. She was included in a group exhibition with Tart Gallery, London, in December 2021 and her works on paper are held in several private collections. Siphiwe lives in Forest Hill, south east London.
Oil pastel and collage on paper, 38.5 x 29.5cm
Siphiwe Mnguni's practice navigates the notion of identity whilst exploring the iconography of the black female nude in relation to her own body. Challenging traditional representations of the figure in western art history, Siphiwe's work is also informed by subconscious thought and her own experiences as a young British-Zimbabwean woman living in south east London.
Drawing from life is intrinsic to Siphiwe's work; her images seem to hover between abstraction and figuration. ‘I take photos of myself in weird positions, draw my reflection in the mirror, or ask friends to sit for me on FaceTime. Then, the work transforms itself in the moment – it’s not pre-planned’. Siphiwe often combines oil pastel with collage which, she says, 'has a tactile and playful quality that takes me back to my childhood'. The resulting pictures evoke dancing creatures that seem to shimmy on the page, their limbs suggesting exploratory arial maps of the body. In this new work, a dark background heightens Siphiwe’s luminous palette. Road-like markings including dotted lines and roundabouts lead the viewers’ eye on a journey around the figure.
Siphiwe gained a BA (Hons) in Fashion, Textiles and Interiors at the University for the Creative Arts, Farnham (2012 – 2015) with a focus upon print design. Alongside her artistic practice she currently works full time for the arts and mental health charity Hospital Rooms as a project curator leading workshops and managing large-scale artist commissions in hospitals. She was included in a group exhibition with Tart Gallery, London, in December 2021 and her works on paper are held in several private collections. Siphiwe lives in Forest Hill, south east London.
