Nicholas Hlobo
Umtya nethunga and Vanity
The materials in these works have a strong relationship to the conversation in which I attempt to engage the viewer. The rubber, for example, relates to the masculine status symbol because it comes from cars; it also relates to industrialisation which is largely male dominated. The rubber has sexual connotations to it as well. By this I mean its association with condoms, which are made from a similar material. The kind of rubber I’ve used is mainly black and that relates to bondage. You get sex toys made out of the same material – black inner tube. It symbolises protection and yet is very sensitive. It can be very durable but is vulnerable to being pricked. Imagine: when driving a car you are safe as long as your tyres do not get punctured. The same applies to sex with a condom.
The inner tubes are old and punctured, gathered from tyre fitting shops dotted about the inner city of Johannesburg. They are then cut into pieces and joined together to create the object. What is interesting is how rubber tends to take on a shape of its own, despite being cut into a particular shape. It almost resembles flesh in its tone, finish, elasticity, and even fragility for that matter. One thing I found fascinating while working with the rubber is how it perfectly links to queerness. The smooth organic folds it creates almost resemble an intestine. That is very humorous, but could be heavy. Have you ever thought of the inner tube as an intestine? Interestingly, as I also explore the Xhosa language in my works, I remembered that the tube is sometimes referred to as ithumbu in Xhosa. Ithumbu literally translates as intestine in English. The link to man-to-man sex is very strong here. The pink ribbon is there to suggest homosexuality.
Then we come to the green Sunlight soap: this made its way into Vanity because of its association with washing. This kind of soap is commonly used in many African households for washing dishes, clothes and bodies. It is the same soap most Xhosa initiates use to wash on the morning of their graduation ceremony. Like rubber, it has a strong link to industrialisation. In relation to colonisation, interestingly, it is one of those early products that were brought to Africa by Europeans. It is no longer used in Europe but is still popular in Africa. It reminds me of my experience when I asked for camphor cream in a pharmacy in England: the woman at the counter said, ‘I don’t think they make that any more.’ The soap has a smell that is distinctly Sunlight, cheap and very close to Africa. It is there to suggest the idea of cleansing. The red ribbon in this work relates to disease, romance and beauty. The case has a mirror and that gives the work another dimension.
The thought of creating these works, especially Umtya nethunga, made me feel like my head was going to explode. I felt regret and determination at the same time. When I produce something on a large scale like this, and work on it for a long time, it does something to my psyche. The process allows me time to be alone and sink deep into my thoughts.
I always find that the material tends to dominate the entire process. My ideas evolve in unexpected ways as the material helps me discover new things. The start usually seems like trying to roll a rock as large as a double-decker bus, and by the completion of the work I go, ‘Wow, I can’t believe I went through that and came back sane’.
Biography
Nicholas Hlobo was born in Cape Town in 1975, and has a B Tech degree from the Wits Technikon (2002). Recent exhibitions include Take me to the river at Pretoria Art Museum (2005); A Decade of Democracy: Witnessing South Africa at the Museum of the National Center for Afro-American Artists, Boston (2004-5) and Show us what you’re made of II at The Premises, Johannesburg. He is in residence at the Thami Mnyele Foundation studios in Amsterdam for three months during 2005.