Kagiso Diale – Boitumelo pele ho bohlale (Bliss before wisdom) – Etching -40cm x 48.5cm – 2023
Artist Proof Studio serves as a hub where artists can meet, collaborate, and learn from one another. This sense of community is invaluable for young artists seeking to establish themselves in the art world. APS has remained committed to the promotion of human rights, equality and re-dress. The studio gives opportunities to driven individuals who share the same values.
Allowing for collaboration has given APS the opportunity to work with incredibly talented artists like Kagiso Diale. He grew up and attended school Soweto, where his family still resides today. Kagiso studied at the University of the Witwatersrand, where he first studied mechanical engineering before he alternatively went on to obtain a Degree in the Bachelor of Architectural Studies. Feeling like he was not realising his purpose and calling, Kagiso chose to pursue a career in visual arts. He uses his insights and experiences of the broader framework of the South African tapestry to spark his creative thinking. In addition, he is informed by his experiences of growing up in a single parent household, living with his mother, his two sisters and his two brothers.
Working at Artist Proof Studio, he produced a series of etching he feels are, “by an artist of modern-day South Africa that was raised by women of tradition, culture, faith and spirituality”. The body of work titled, Umakoti, Inkolo Nemihlolo (The Wife, the Faith and the Absurd).
Explaining one of his prints, Born With a Burden, Kagiso explains, “the bride in the artwork is presented upon her exit from a cave behind her, in the garden during early morning rise. The soft sunlight shines on her to reveal her bare chest and pregnant belly. Her cloth shines before her hidden face, while kneeling near an elephant ear plant.”
Just as all the women in his series, the subject is cloaked with a doily, “which is stated to be for ornamental purpose,” adds Kagiso. It’s popularly known to be used by housewives on furniture and other surfaces. Its openwork allows the underlying surface to be visible for presentation.
Kagiso Diale – Born with A Burden – Etching – 51cm x 38,5cm – 2023
“Born with a Burden is a response piece conceptually formulated by the model/subject that poses in the garden, from conversation, as it speaks to the traditional idea of a woman’s role in a family and in society, as she describes and had previously experienced it herself:”
“Which is the idea that women are too often seen as tools for childbirth and family expansion – which, ultimately, acts as the constitutional idea behind misogyny, abuse, and many other related social ills that women face.”
“If there were space away from that problematic notion, it gives way for choice; it gives way for seeing who people are beyond implied binary gender roles; it gives way for safety from the physical dangers of entitlement caused by cultural and religious dynamics smearing red across your face/identity – breeding a new name on a list of GBV martyr.”
“Importantly, it creates a society that understands how the well-being of the next generation is based on the burdens eroded by those that seek change.”
The body of works by Kagiso was debuted by APS at the recent Investec Cape Town Art Fair. The results at the end of the fair put Kagiso as one of the studio’s top selling artists on the weekend.
It’s amazing to see how artists like Kagiso embody Artist Proof Studio’s mission to support young artists in printmaking, which goes beyond just teaching a craft. It is about nurturing creativity, preserving heritage, fostering community, encouraging critical dialogue, and empowering the next generation of artists to make their mark on the world.
Kagiso Diale working on etching plate
Kagiso Diale – The Tale of the suns – Etching – 57cm x 44.5cm – 2023