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Jabu Nala |
With a
strong mastery of the uphiso form and an eye for a subtly flattened slope
towards the mouth of izinkamba, Jabu Nala has built a reputation for herself in
the South African ceramic art world. Her creation of larger vessels,
banded design work and improvisations using the inkanyezi, or star design have
been a sold basis for her creativity. Jabu has been creating clay beer pots in
the traditional Zulu way. She was taught by her mother Nesta, who developed a
world-wide reputation for her classical forms and finely finished beer pots.
The clay is
hand-dug in two places near to her home. One is red and other grey. The
clay is then ground using a traditional Zulu grinding-stone and then sieved
through a sieve or a piece of net curtain. It is then dried and put into a ten
gallon iron drum with 50% water. The clay is then left to mature and then
wedged and rolled into balls. The pots are hand-coiled and then smoothed with a
piece of calabash or old spoon. When leather-hard they are burnished with
river pebbles and then decorated with incised patterns or added “warts” of clay
using an ancient design called “Amansumpa”. Soft “warts” of clay
are inserted on the surface with a clay slip and smoothed into the
surface with a river pebble. The pots are then left to dry
naturally.
Before
firing, pieces of coal are put into the pots and warmed up to make sure that
the pots are completely dry. They are then placed on their sides in a
special pattern and covered over with dried grass, aloe leaves and
stalks. The grass is then lit and then the aloe leaves catch fire - the
firing lasts approximately 3 hours depending on weather conditions.
A second
firing takes place to smoke the pots black. The pots are placed on a
metal tripod and turned with a stick over the flames to ensure an even
smoking. When thoroughly blackened, the pots are then cooled. They
are then rubbed with animal fat or oil and burnished to make them shine.
Exhibitions
:
1997 - Kim
Sacks Gallery Johannesburg
1998 - Isidlo Simpilo - Soul Food African Art Centre
1998 - FNB Vita Crafts Exhibition, Cape Town
2007 - Ukucwebezela : To Shine, African Art Centre
Commissions:
2002 Stair
tiles for the New Constitutional Court, Jhb
Collections
:
Johannesburg
Art Gallery
Kim Sacks Collection
Gallery on the Square, Johannesburg
Clive Segal
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