Pumzile Buthelezi

(Hope and Patches were two of the artist's works on the Isithunzi exhibition)

Hope

Hope means different things to different people. A homeless man's hope would be a next meal; a mother's hope would be the safety and well-being for her children and something totally different to a physically ill person.
It is said that one should never lose hope but always keep the faith. Hope is that element that keeps the strength supply flowing so that the particular being can keep holding on. Hope appears out of nowhere as the evidence that dreams do come true and that even the sad moments do pass.
In this particular artwork hope appears in a green colour as a sign of life. It appears to be growing out of nowhere (white neutral) coiled up like a seedling making its first exit-entrance. A coiled up piece of cloth is sewn onto the paper-the softness of the cloth is the sensitivity and tenderness of the seedling.
I sat one morning watching a house plant giving birth to a new flower; there and then my creativity was triggered. Hope was born.

Patches

Patches are those elements thta hypnotize the viewer into staring at me without blinking. At times people stare at you because of the resemblance you have in comparison to someone they’ve known or met in the past. My family relatives have proclaimed how I resemble my father or my aunt. My big eyes, my legs, my talents...

My mother used to say I’m as stubborn as my father and I agree. Some of these elements I am proud of but others embarrass me. Nevertheless all these elements made me who I am. These elements separate me from you. The combination of these elements can only be found in me, so when they are bought together they form a unique mosaic of me. Patches could represent a certain moment in the past that changes one’s life, be it tragic or divine. Those patches are linked with the decisions we made in the past and make everyday.

We are all patched, yet we are unique.

Information courtesy of the curator, Christian Mphapho Hlasane.