Ezawantu

“One cannot create without any guidance or past reference because what occurred then shapes and informs what becomes of our work in the future,” says ceramic artist Sbonelo Luthuli, whose full name is Sbonelo iHubo leNgebadi Luthuli-Njiyela. Both his name and work speak to the complexity of identity in south Africa, a country charged with intricate questions around cultural lineage and tradition. Luthuli was born in the Eastern Cape and grew up in and around Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, where he graduated with a National Diploma in Fine Arts from the Durban University of Technology in 2011. His work is a testament to his indigenous and spiritual heritage, descending from a line of traditional ceramic practitioners in the Eastern Cape. Luthuli’s work does not conform to a notion of art for art’s sake, nor is it restrained by the principle of form follows function. His work is conceptual in its Bantu aesthetic, principles, and ideologies, and pays tribute to the ancient cosmological significance of vessel-making within the complex histories of South Africa. “I create with an intention to inform and educate. My work is informed by my historical, cultural and social background, which allows me to place it within its proper context. Some may look at me as a deviator from traditional cannons or principles, but I’ve learnt to understand these cannons within indigenous ceramic practice. I use unconventional techniques, but my work still honours these indigenous practices.”