Artist Statement

Tinyiko Makwakwa

b. 1984 Johannesburg, South Africa.

Tinyiko Makwakwa is a Johannesburg-based artist whose research-driven studio practice offers a profound investigation into African indigenous science and realities. Primarily focusing on textile art, she creates layered compositions of vibrant colour using natural dyes; Indigo and Ochres - mineral earth pigment, glass beads, and stitch embroidery on umbhaco, a fabric integral to traditional attire for the Xhosa people of South Africa, who are known to dip-dye their umbhaco in ochre for it's earth tones and apply ocher on their faces making use of it's rich mineral composition as a form of sun protection.

At the heart of Makwakwa’s work is the exploration of cultural materiality as a form of language. Her artistic practice revolves around what she describes as "Matrilineal Methodologies"—rituals and spiritual practices that promote circularity and link generations. By championing ancestral knowledge systems through her textile art, she presents them as a valid science in their own right, examining how these indigenous perspectives and lived experiences sustain cultures over time.

Through a visual language of Textile Totems and Beaded Talisman, curvilinear abstract shapes and forms, Makwakwa delves into the interwoven narratives between her materials, the landscape, and her artistic process. Her work seeks to create a seamless blend between the seen and unseen worlds, serving as a continuous, natural synthesis of tradition and contemporary expression.