Nokukhanya Langa
Nokukhanya Langa’s (°1991, USA) practice is defined by her distinct and subversive visual language. Langa is neither an apprentice of the school of pure abstraction, nor are her works plainly narrative or figurative. Her works exist in the same space as would vernacular idioms, as they are fugitives to direct meaning. The paintings have a multiplicity among them so that a style is never full and her oeuvre is never fully settled; there seems to be an air of dissimilation - things are not totally straightforward. There are hidden meanings and tongue-in-cheek political expressions that are proclaimed as casually and softly, while equally rife with meaning and intent. The overall effect contains their agile use of approachable every-day jargon and aesthetics in order to convey the much more subtle and incendiary subtext of the works.
WhAt AbOut ThE cAvE mEn?, 2019; oil on canvas, 175x135, courtesy of the artist and Galerie van Gelder, Amsterdam