ICTAF 2026 | BC MAIN BOOTH TINYIKO MAKWAKWA

At the heart of my work is the exploration of cultural materiality as a form of language. My artistic practice revolves around what I describe as "Matrilineal Methodologies"—rituals and spiritual practices that promote circularity and link generations. Through a visual language of Textile Totems and Beaded Talisman, My work seeks to create a seamless blend between the seen and unseen worlds, serving as a continuous, natural synthesis of traditional and contemporary expression.

Repetition and rhythm are an essential part of my art practice, as is observation. The dipping of Umbhaco in and out of the ochre dye bath, the over and under of stitch embroidery, the gathering of glass seed beads into the safety pins, threading of safety pins into wire, all the while observing the silent but consistent movement of the studio shadows day in, day out as the sun makes its way to and fro across the horizon, like a pendulum on a metronome.

Tinyiko Makwakwa (born 1984) is a Johannesburg-based artist whose research-driven studio practice offers a profound investigation into African indigenous science and realities. Primarily focusing on textile art, she creates layered compositions of vibrant colour using natural dyes; Indigo and Ochres - mineral earth pigment, glass beads, and stitch embroidery on umbhaco, a fabric integral to traditional attire for the Xhosa people of South Africa, who are known to dip-dye their umbhaco in ochre for its earth tones and apply ocher on their faces making use of its rich mineral composition as a form of sun protection.

At the heart of Makwakwa’s work is the exploration of cultural materiality as a form of language. Her artistic practice revolves around what she describes as "Matrilineal Methodologies"—rituals and spiritual practices that promote circularity and link generations. By championing ancestral knowledge systems through her textile art, she presents them as a valid science in their own right, examining how these indigenous perspectives and lived experiences sustain cultures over time.

Through a visual language of Textile Totems and Beaded Talisman, curvilinear abstract shapes and forms, Makwakwa delves into the interwoven narratives between her materials, the landscape, and her artistic process. Her work seeks to create a seamless blend between the seen and unseen worlds, serving as a continuous, natural synthesis of tradition and contemporary expression.