Zizipho Poswa sees the sacredness of beauty. She shapes her world with an evocative precision through a transcendent lens; a rare gift and the highest honour. The Cape Town-based ceramic artist makes large scale creations that are inspired by the divinity of Black womanhood. With them, Poswa paves her way ahead by paying homage to the ancestral legacies that colour African traditions. A surface design graduate of Cape Peninsula University of Technology and the cofounder of bespoke studio Imiso Ceramics (alongside Andile Dyalvane), her artistry is intuitive and her skill has become fine-tuned.

“The forms, shapes, textures and colours of my work are linked to my spiritual orientation, which is also hinged on matriarchal cultural experience I received growing up in Mthatha. I used to play with clay near a river: that environment has had the biggest impact on my trajectory,” Poswa says of her Xhosa upbringing in the Eastern Cape. “By the time I went to university, I had a natural inclination for artistic work despite not having specialised in art in primary and high school. My university education helped in refining my understanding of art techniques and production methods though the inspiration for my work comes from a much deeper place.”

Poswa’s most recent solo exhibition at Southern Guild in Cape Town, a sold-out showcase titled uBuhle boKhokho, celebrated the intricate art of hairstyling practised by Black women across the African continent. The large-scale ceramic and bronze sculptures, referencing historic and contemporary styles, reflect the artist’s intimate understanding of the embodiment of beauty. “Some of the works were crafted as an ode to the women and hairstylists who have influenced and shaped my own life,” she says. “The works are deeply connected to my relationship with hair rituals; those that have been passed down to me by those I love, and those I continue to honour through the daily rituals I share with my daughter. I believe this preservation of tradition is vital to ensuring that these cultural rituals are not lost.”

When I asked her how the idea of beauty in her collectibles enables her imagination to transcend space, Poswa notes that what she found remarkable about uBuhle boKhokho was the ease with which it drew together different African narratives. “Standing in the room with the body of work, it felt as if I was standing among the women I was inspired by and those ancestors I had hoped to honour. These rituals tie us to one another, they foster connection, and they root us in the rich diversity of Africa, regardless of where we may find ourselves in the world,” she continues.

The expression of Black femininity is often contentious in a world where our narratives are distorted and our unique experiences reflect our disenfranchisement and disembodiment even in our own lands; and so taking ownership of those stories becomes a lifeline. In our conversation, Poswa unpacks how much these rituals mean to her. “Having my hair and nails done, dressing myself – these are acts of self-compassion and empowerment. Self-adornment goes beyond the cosmetic. I think these rituals, especially for us, are about reclaiming our stories and taking pride in our heritage,” she says.

Poswa’s proclamations of beauty as it pertains to Black femininity are prevalent in the stylistic choices she’s made to date, and their effectiveness can be seen in how the works resonate with her collectors and audience alike. Her debut solo show in 2021, which sold out even before it opened at Southern Guild, was titled iLobola and captured the intricacies of traditions around Xhosa women making the transition into marriage. Her pieces have also joined the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Loewe Foundation as well as been exhibited worldwide.

Of her process, Poswa explains that she prefers not to work with deadlines because of how they can limit the spiritual nature of her work. Quite often when there are tight deadlines, they tend to interfere with her energy and the work does not come out in the ways that she has been shown in her dreams. Letting her process breathe allows these magnificent works to reach their true potential. Making her latest pieces required a unique creative process that entailed a higher level of thinking and engagement.

“I researched the historic hairstyles I wanted to work with, found archival imagery to draw from and sketched each work to clarify the form. This was a process of trial and error within itself as each ceramic base had to be crafted to bear the weight of its bronze adornment – it was also the first time I had worked in such a monumental size,” she explains. “Crafting with clay at this scale demands a balance of patience, planning and surrender; there were pieces that did not make it out of the kiln. I had to trust that what did not survive was not meant to be. This is the nature of the craft. Alongside the making of the works, I took part in a photographic series that documented myself wearing 12 different hairstyles. This embodiment also stood as a declarative act of self-beautification.” See some of these rare works at Investec Cape Town Art Fair 2023 this weekend.

Zizipho Poswa exhibits at Investec Cape Town Art Fair 2023 with Southern Guild, from 17-19 February at CTICC. Discover the fair here.

Images courtesy of Hayden Phipps/ Southern Guild .

This article was created in collaboration with Letterhead.