Zizipho Poswa’s unique take on ceramic art is inspired by her South African roots
Cape Town ceramicist Zizipho Poswa received a breathless call from Trevyn and Julian McGowan, of Cape Town gallery Southern Guild, in late 2018. The couple were at Design Miami, where they had just placed two of Poswa’s glazed stoneware pieces with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). As the facts of the transaction settled, so Poswa’s emotions skittered. It had only been a few months since she had debuted her first art pieces, boldly coloured abstract totems that speak about her journey as a Xhosa woman, in a group exhibition in Cape Town.
‘I was still unsure about my work,’ says the Umtata-born ceramicist. ‘I didn’t think my career would get to this level so soon.’ Poswa is not being modest. The two sculptures acquired by LACMA – one is pillar-box red, the other marine blue with gashes of red, and both are titled Ukukhula (‘growth’ in Xhosa)– were only her fifth and sixth personal studio pieces. By this measure, Poswa’s march into the museum world has been brisk, circumventing the usual procedures – extensive production, solo shows, fawning press, patient waiting – that typically preface institutional recognition.
Don’t be fooled by this tale of instant success: Poswa’s ceramic art is the fruit of nearly two decades of commitment to clay as expressive medium and sustainable business. ‘In certain respects, it has been a long journey for Zizi from making functional ceramics to pure art,’ says Trevyn McGowan. ‘When she did eventually turn her hand to art, she made an effortless leap in scale and power.’ The gallerist variously uses words like ‘totemic’, ‘sensual’, ‘confident’ and ‘vibrant’ to characterise the distinctive presence of Poswa’s art pieces.
McGowan first met Poswa more than a decade ago, while scouting local design for the export market. The search led her to Imiso, a boutique ceramic studio founded in 2006 by five friends – including Poswa and acclaimed ceramicist Andile Dyalvane. The studio, whose name means ‘tomorrow’ in Xhosa, was a leap of faith for Poswa. Unlike Dyalvane, who studied ceramics and was mentored by Chris Silverston of local design studio Potter’s Workshop, Poswa came to the medium with a background in textile design and fashion retail.
The early years of Imiso were tough. ‘We had no infrastructure for anything,’ recalls Poswa. A sympathetic landlord provided the fledgling clay business with a kiln. Three of the founding team fell away, leaving only Poswa and Dyalvane. Both are from the Eastern Cape, the heartland of South Africa’s Xhosa culture. They first met in Port Elizabeth, as students – he dated her best friend. Evidence of their contrasting studio output is displayed in Imiso’s multipurpose space at The Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock, Cape Town’s new creative hub. Known internationally for his unique terracotta and stoneware pieces that reference his rural upbringing, Dyalvane’s Imiso studio output is more expressive and pop, with motifs inspired by ritual scarification, Picasso, and Cape Town’s harbour. By contrast, Poswa’s delicate utilitarian pinch pots feature bold colour and surface treatments that integrate patterns inspired by traditional Xhosa textiles.
To illustrate how she develops her ideas, Poswa plays a clip of a cousin’s Xhosa initiation ceremony in the Eastern Cape, showing a group of women wearing ankle-length umbhaco skirts and moving in jubilant procession. The origin of the stipples and symmetrical lines on her pinch pots becomes clear. ‘I always think in terms of colour, pattern and texture,’ explains Poswa.
This stood her in good stead when, two years ago, Julian McGowan encouraged her to contribute personal work to an exhibition titled ‘Extra Ordinary’. Two unrelated events influenced the tall clay forms she produced. In 2016, Imiso acquired a new kiln capable of firing larger pieces, in the lead up to Dyalvane’s first US solo show at New York’s Friedman Benda, and this provided Poswa with the chance to scale up. More importantly, she was inspired by a visit to the Eastern Cape. ‘It was a time to reflect and revisit childhood memories,’ she says of the trip, which reminded her of the ‘strength and resilience’ of rural Xhosa women. Although notionally abstract, Poswa’s three debut pieces, titled Umthwalo (load), directly evoked the labours of rural women, in particular the bearing of loads on their heads.
For her next series, Ukukhula, Poswa looked inward, at her own professional biography. The works acquired by LACMA, whose holdings also include a terracotta pot by Kenyan-British ceramic artist Magdalene Odundo (see W*240), are an expression of personal growth – ‘about me growing in the industry, growing taller’, she says. Measuring over a metre tall, Ukukhula 1 features protruding jagged triangular forms, while Ukukhula 2 comes with agglomerations of studio shavings added to its surface.
Energised by the response to these recent works, Poswa has been working on a half-dozen new sculptures. The new work references grinding stones and traditional wooden maize stampers, which she noticed while attending her grandmother’s funeral. ‘I am still exploring my background, where I come from,’ she says.
As originally featured in the October 2019 issue of Wallpaper* (W*247) – on newsstands now
INFORMATION
Poswa is part of Southern Guild's debut showing at PAD London, 30 September – 6 October. pad-fairs.com/london; southernguild.co.za; imisoceramics.co.za
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Sean O’Toole is writer, editor and curator based in Cape Town. He has published two books, most recently a 2021 monograph on the expressionist painter Irma Stern, as well as edited three volumes of cultural essays, including 'The Journey: New Positions on African Photography', which received a New York Times critics’ pick for Best Art Books 2021. His exhibition projects include 'Photo book! Photo-book! Photobook!' at A4 Arts Foundation, Cape Town.
-
First look: Western Mongolia meets Kew Gardens in John Pawson and Oyuna Tserendorj’s cashmere throws
Architectural designer John Pawson and cashmere designer Oyuna Tserendor have collaborated on a cashmere throw collection inspired by Pawson’s 70m Lake Crossing in the Royal Botanical Gardens
By Scarlett Conlon Published
-
How to buy art: the accessible new market
Thanks to a growing pool of art advisers, digital intelligence and collector groups, buyers are better equipped than ever
By Annabel Keenan Published
-
The coolest design-led coffee shops in Seoul
Seoul counts more coffee shops per capita than any other city in the world – cut straight to our six must-visit spots
By Robert Schneider Published
-
Meet Oluwole Omofemi and Bayo Akande, the founders creating a new art community
Oluwole Omofemi and Bayo Akande, are behind Piece Unique, an artist agency that guides and future-proofs emerging artists’ careers
By Mazzi Odu Published
-
Don’t miss these artists at 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair 2024
As the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair returns to London (10-13 October 2024), here are the artists to see
By Gameli Hamelo Published
-
Es Devlin’s large-scale choral installation celebrates London’s displaced population
Es Devlin has partnered with UK for UNHCR on a free and open-to-all exhibition, ‘Congregation’, in London from 3-9 October 2024
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Frieze London 2024: everything to see and do
As London gears up for Frieze Week (9-13 October 2024), here are the must-sees inside and outside the fair
By Amah-Rose Abrams Last updated
-
‘This blood that is flowing is my blood, and that should be a positive thing’: Tracey Emin at White Cube
Tracey Emin’s exhibition ‘I followed you to the end’ has opened at White Cube Bermondsey in London, and traces the artist’s journey through loss
By Hannah Silver Published
-
'I want them to be tender': Gary Hume on his new artworks at Sprüth Magers in London
With Gary Hume’s exhibition ‘Mirrors and Other Creatures’ now open at Sprüth Magers, the artist speaks of swans, their curves, and why ‘it’s brilliant’ being a painter
By Emily Steer Published
-
The Turner Prize 2024 opens at Tate Britain
The Turner Prize 2024 shortlisted artists are Pio Abad, Claudette Johnson, Jasleen Kaur and Delaine Le Bas
By Hannah Silver Published
-
'There is beauty there but it’s also a bit subverted': Ella Walker at Pilar Corrias
Ella Walker presents her first exhibition at London's Pilar Corrias gallery, ‘The Romance of the Rose’, her female figures variously exposed, playful, dangerous and joyous
By Emily Steer Published