2007
Wood, cowhide, fabric, paint, polish, wheels
85 x 323 x 65cm

On the exhibition Afterlife at Michael Stevenson in March/April 2007, Samson Mudzunga showed what he announced to be ‘the biggest drum ever made!’ For Mudzunga, size clearly matters, given that his drums – and the rebirth performances that he enacts by ‘burying’ himself within them – are intimately linked to his own sense of vitality. The title of the drum, Vivho Venda – meaning ‘jealousy in Venda’ – gives an indication of the response that his confidence in his own powers has elicited from certain sectors in his community, particularly the traditional hierarchy that he is compelled to challenge by claiming access to Venda’s sacred lake, Fundudzi.

Mudzunga’s latest large-scale drum, Fundudzi Fish, once again asserts the centrality of the lake in the artist’s personal mythology. It is water from the lake that Mudzunga claims gives him his powers as well as the dreams that guide his actions. Inside, the drum is lined with fabric and decorated with pillows – home comforts that confirm the artist’s sense of belonging, both within Fundudzi and the art gallery context. Accompanying the fish is a small elephant drum, which – in another typical reversal of hierarchy – resides inside the fish when it is not being used in performance.

In 2007 Mudzunga was included on the exhibition Turbulence at Hangart-7 in Salzburg, Austria. He has been nominated for the 2008 DaimlerChrysler Award focusing on art in public spaces.

© 2007 Michael Stevenson. All rights reserved.