Siyabonga Mahlaba's accomplished project titled "Reformed Structures", is informed by his interest in architecture and explores how ideologies inform architecture and its implications. 

Mahlaba's work focuses on the Dutch Reformed Church structures in his hometown and broader South Africa, specifically the disparities in the standards of the NGK buildings for different racial groups in Bethlehem.

Growing up attending the NGK church with his family, Mahlaba noticed the stark differences in the standards of the NGK buildings of the different racial groups in Bethlehem. 

He found that the NGK structures for white congregants were of a structurally higher standard than those housing black and coloured congregants, reflective of the town's racial division during apartheid.

Mahlaba's body of work aims to make sense of the present state of the church and his family's position in the church. Titled "Reformed Structures", it explores his family archive in relation to the NGK structures, looking specifically at the church's exclusionary nature and how black congregants were able to find communion despite these circumstances. 

The work also raises questions about how Christianity is at odds with itself and how racism is both perpetuated and condemned in its name.

Through digital collaging and photographic manipulation, Mahlaba's work creates an imagined reality that reflects on his identity as a black congregant in a historically white church and the perceived "value" of his life in relation to this space. 

This project is a powerful statement on the racial divides that still exist in post-apartheid South Africa and the ongoing struggle to reconcile the past with the present.

Mahlaba has participated in numerous group exhibitions at Constitution Hill, the gallery (44  Stanley Avenue), Artivist, Wits Art Museum, UJ Art Gallery and The Point of Order.

The Dutch Reformed Church, famously known in Afrikaans as the NG Kerk (NGK), is a  predominantly Afrikaner Christian denomination that is infamous for supporting the apartheid  regime. I grew up attending this church, along with my family.  

My hometown, Bethlehem, has numerous NGKs – of which two are for black congregants, one  is for coloured congregants, and ten are for white congregants. The stark differences in this  church demographic are reflective of the town’s current population and the racial division  during apartheid. 

I noticed disparities in the standards of the NGK buildings of the different  racial groups in Bethlehem: the NGK structures for white congregants are of a structurally  higher standard than those housing black and coloured congregants.  

This body of work, titled 'Reformed Structures', explores my family archive in relation to the NGK  structures, looking specifically at the church’s exclusionary nature and how Black congregants  were able to find communion despite these circumstances. I aim to make sense of the present  state of the church and my family’s position in the church.  

This body of work also explores and represents the aforementioned architectural disparities in  the church buildings, and their implications for establishing standards of life through racial  hierarchies. 

It aims to raise questions on how Christianity is at odds with itself - how racism is  and was both perpetuated and condemned in its name. Furthermore, it makes a connection  between the past and present, focusing on how the racial divides still exist in post-apartheid  South Africa.  

Importantly, this work is about self-reflection – reflecting on my identity as a black congregant in  a historically white church, and the perceived ‘value’ of my life in relation to this space. The  work is also a way of creating an imagined reality of some sort through digital collaging and  photographic manipulation. 

In this exclusive interview with Siyabonga, he shares his creative process, how he handles the business aspect of being a fine artist and upcoming projects readers can look forward to. 

Growing up, I used to draw a lot; some of the boys I went to school with did too. We would draw cars and Dragon Ball Z characters in our sketchbooks and  improve our skills that way. My brother-in-law at the time was an architect, so his  work really inspired me. 

I continued drawing into my adolescence, until I started  taking art classes in high school, which is where I started working with different  mediums and improving my artistic skills. Upon deciding that I wanted to become  an artist professionally, I continued along this path into university. 

I usually look for inspiration by looking at the works of other artists who work in  the mediums of photography and digital collaging, or by looking at my past  works. Sometimes I note down ideas I have and revisit them at a later stage. 

I  then go out to photograph and go through a post-production process which  includes editing and retouching. I also have an archive of unedited images that  I’ve taken over the years, which I use to create new collages or double exposures.  

How the final artwork ends up looking is all intuitive and can take any amount of  time. 

I have to be present and consistent in my art practice to stay inspired and  motivated, it sort of works inversely. So, reading, researching, looking at past  works and creating really helps me stay inspired and motivated. 

Criticism is very useful in helping me improve, as long as it’s fair and constructive. I see rejection as a normal part of life; I just move on from it or let it inspire the  next thing. 

The photograph, “Sangoma Sisters Gladys and Cynthia Leading Initiates in the Afternoon Ingoma”, from the “Chasing Shadows” series by Santu Mofokeng. This photograph depicts sangomas and initiates gathering in a cave for a ritual, but it’s  how Mofokeng represented this in a photograph that is special. 

The composition  of the people and the setting in the photograph, the striking contrasts and the  motion blur – all these aspects work in harmony to create a beautiful image. It’s  also special because of how he managed to capture the essence or spirit in that  cave. 

This photograph and many others by Santu Mofokeng showed me how to  really look and be thoughtful when creating a photograph and representing  spirituality through this medium.

I see my art fitting into the contemporary art scene through my exploration of a  topic that hasn’t been explored before – a topic that is both historical and  contemporary in the sense that the issues I’m looking at still affect people today.

I handle it through networking and collaborating with artists, galleries and other  organisations. There are things I can’t do on my own that other people are able  to help with, so I take advantage of this to create working relationships that help  sustain my career. 

Being an independent artist, I have also learned to keep records of inventory,  outgoing artworks and finances. 

A constant challenge I face is trying to be consistent in my art practice because I  have to balance it with being in university. This results in not having a sustainable  income to fund the practice.  

The year ahead is long, so we’ll see. I’m currently exhibiting in Cape Town with  the Turbine Art Fair Paper project. 

I plan on exploring other mediums, so I’m interested to see how my work  evolves with that. I’m also still acquiring different skills in architecture school, so  those may also impact my work in the future.

With this, Siyabonga Mahlaba is our ‘Visionary in Focus’ this week.

Next week we explore the work and creative process of another artist whose interview you can not miss!

Stay focused…