Revising the Future with Siwa Mgoboza

Profile Aug. 24, 2020
“I am interested in re-imagining objects, bodies and landscapes that are constructed to immerse us in the logic of another place, an imagined reality. For futures to exist, the future must be conceived through revision, looking back. The present must (be) understood as a transitional or as a rite of passage, a process of evolving.”
Siwa Mgoboza

This Monday, we’re inspired by the words and colorful artworks of artist Siwa Mgoboza, who examines questions of identity and the interwoven relationships between Africa and the West.

A person wearing a brightly decorated mask wraps their arm around their neck, resting their hand on their own shoulder revealing fingernails intricately decorated to match the mask
Siwa Mgoboza; Les Êtres D’Africadia (Masquer) III, 2015; Carnegie Museum of Art: Gift of Chris and Dawn Fleischner. © Siwa Mgoboza.
 A person wearing a colorful mask and costume covering their whole body poses in front of a brightly patterned backdrop
Siwa Mgoboza; Les Êtres D’Africadia III Jamezeena Bulloza, 2015; Carnegie Museum of Art: Gift of Chris and Dawn Fleischner. © Siwa Mgoboza.