PRESS RELEASE
IMRAAN CHRISTIAN: !Noma / Rooted
Apr 4 – May 12, 2024
IMRAAN CHRISTIAN | !NOMA / ROOTED – MA SE KINDERS
!Noma, meaning ‘rooted’ in the indigenous Nama language, forms part of the Ma se kinders universe as a remembrance of a time before colonial borders. The series by Cape Town artist Imraan Christian celebrates the beauty of the nomadic yet deeply rooted indigenous migratory patterns we find throughout Africa’s history in pre-colonial times. The paintings and photographs explore the beauty of identity without geographic borders through the portrayal of mythological characters and symbolic elements like water, earth and air.
The colour blue is considered sacred in many indigenous mythologies. The Nama of southern Africa often told stories that spoke of the relationship between the sky and the sea, and how our great ancestors were stars that reflected in water. This series uses blue as a thread to weave together the portraits, creating many different tales, depending on who is doing the weaving and where the story begins; much like history.
The Ma se kinders project, started in 2017, is the greater indigenous galaxy that holds this !Noma / Rooted series as constellation. The aim of the decolonial project is to create an indigenous mythology that will inspire young people to dream wildly and freely about their own identity and potential. The artist explains: ‘Through this repositioning of iconography, the series becomes a contemporary conversation about what we can learn from these ancient migratory identities about what it truly means to be connected to the earth and one another.’
In a time where refugee and climate crises are part of our everyday, the belief in the beauty of an indigenous self that roots all humanity in a shared lineage finds a home here, as a humble and gentle hope.
b.1992 Cape Town, South Africa
Imraan Christian is a young South African painter, photographer and filmmaker. He is an artist and activist, and describes himself as a ‘son of the soil’. In recent years, in addition to his own series of works, he has worked on projects with UNICEF, CNN, BBC world services, Nike and Vogue Italia. Christian achieved international fame with his documentation of the student unrests in South Africa in 2015/16.
Opening reception: Thursday 4th April - 6pm
Artist walkabout: Saturday 6th April - 11am
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INSTALLATION IMAGES BY MICHAEL HALL
