By Buhle Andisiwe Made
Mzwanele Tshishonga is a multimedium artist hailing from the township of KwaZakhele in Gqeberha. Tshishonga is an alumnus of the Advanced Photography Programme at the Market Photo Workshop. Also known as Rez Inyanzi, he focuses his work on storytelling through his mixed media by engaging in issues that apply to the idea of ‘Blackness’.
Rez Inyanzi’s art allows viewers to gain knowledge of African systems and cultures. On 14 April, Rez Inyanzi exhibited a couple of his collections, titled Ukulandela Umoya, at the Rhodes Fine Art Gallery on Somerset Road. His work spans from 2018 to date and the exhibition focused on the concept of Umoya, which is directly translated as “wind” or “air”.
But Rez Inyanzi’s approach to Umoya is different. Umoya is also “spirit”, which is the focal point of the exhibition. The spirit inhabits the bodies of those gifted enough to experience it and the other spirits that linger around us. So, in essence, Ukulandela Umoya is to ‘follow the spirit’, allowing the heart to guide paths.
Umoya is a spiritual calling that only a specific few ever experience, and few understand – it is a journey that allows one to connect to one’s ancestral clans. When looking at Rez Inyanzi’s photography, viewers are taken on that journey and are exposed to the intricacies of the spirit and ceremonial aspects attached to Ukulandela Umoya. The spirit is an unseen entity that one can only experience through emotional, trans-like visions and feelings. And somehow, Rez Inyanzi captures those feeling through moving images.
The aesthetic components are compelling as a viewer to the non-static imagery produced, which allows viewers to translate those images into specific movements made by Umoya. Rez Inyanzi’s collections follow the differences between Umoya and, specifically, ‘Ubugqirha’ – an ancestral calling. The photography uses the calling as a tool to offload the ideology of Umoya and the different interactions of sacred spaces.
The exhibition translates the facets of the Ubugqirha that can be thought of as ‘wild’ and not usually accepted within Western communities. The journey portrayed by Rez Inyanzi elaborates on different elements of the calling and references the specific regalia that is attached to the different stages of Ubugqirha, allowing us, the audience, to gain a visual discernment.
More of the collection and event can be viewed online on the Rhodes social media pages, including Grocotts Mail (@grocottsmail) and the Rhodes University Department of Fine Art (@ru_fineart) on Instagram.
