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Zana Masombuka
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Lives & Works in Johannesburg/Sterkloop Mpumalanga, South Africa
Young South African artist, Zana Masombuka explores the intersections of culture and identity through diverse materials. Masombuka weaves inspiring visual narratives of arresting aesthetic subtlety, drawing inspiration from her upbringing in a small rural town in the Ndebele homeland in South Africa. Her works deploy Ndebele cultural lore, symbolism, and material in a bid to undertake a radical re-examination of the self. Masombuka’s  photographic series, proudly South African, conjures a medley of national symbols, intense colours and emblems of her Ndebele homeland. For her solo exhibition at October Gallery, ‘Nges’rhodlweni: A Portal for Black Joy’, Masombuka uses photography, film, sculpture, and performance to portray initiation ceremonies that engage the healing powers of nature and community, using joy as the dominant emotion. The overarching themes in her work investigate the intersections of age-old human experiences with the modern world and how modernity impacts the transmission of tradition and culture. Zana Masombuka will be presented by October Gallery. 
Zana Masombuka, Proudly South African Exploration of identity 5, Giclée print on Hahnemühle Fine Art Baryta 325 gsm paper, 60 x 40 cm, Edition of 10. Courtesy the Artist and October Gallery.

Artists 2023