Thabisa Mjo
Beauty Bathembile Ngxongo
Thabisa Mjo & Beauty Bathembile Ngxongo
PROJECT
Thabisa Mjo facilitates creative collaborations that meld technology and traditional crafts to tell stories about Black South African cultural heritage. The Hlabisa bench combines the carpentry skills of Afrikaans duo Houtlander and the work of Zulu master weaver Rosemary Bonisiwe Zitha, who created the work’s woven back using traditional techniques. The bench is inspired by Zitha’s home, the village of Hlabisa in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal. Its curved form reflects the undulating hills of the region, while the multiple legs are directly inspired by potjies, cast-iron pots used for slow cooking over a fire, which Mjo recalls her grandmother using in her home.
The acquisition of this artist’s work is supported by Chris Thomas AM & Cheryl Thomas
ABOUT
Thabisa Mjo founded Mash.T Design Studio in 2016 in Johannesburg. Working across furniture and lighting as a site of inquiry into form, material and making, the studio engages craft lineages and material intelligence as living systems, translating texture and gesture into contemporary objects that are both sculptural and functional. Mjo’s work focuses on preserving hands-on manufacturing and close collaboration with master artisans from across South Africa. Mjo’s accolades include South African Designer of the Year in 2019 and designer of the Most Beautiful Object in South Africa in 2018. Her work is in the permanent collections of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Musée du Louvre, and Centre Pompidou.
Beauty Bathembile Ngxongo is a world-renowned artist and a custodian of the craft of Zulu basketry. She was born in south-western KwaZulu-Natal in 1953 and now resides in the remote area of Hlabisa. A master practitioner, Ngxongo has played a critical role in the revival of Zulu basket weaving. Her work can be found in museum collections including at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (US) and the Smithsonian Institution, Los Angeles (US), and she has been awarded the South African National Best Artist award.