BANELE KHOZA

Central to What’s left unsaid is the tension between two people when the ability to articulate thoughts and feelings is stifled due to distance, time and vulnerability. This feeds into the artist’s larger thematic exploration: the search for connection. This is represented by his iterative and ongoing development of delicate portraiture in his practice. The presentation includes a selection of self-portraits, a subject matter the artist finds simultaneously challenging and therapeutic. On this he states:

I have been afraid to look at myself as the subject. One usually places an emphasis on other people to escape oneself or as a way to shy from seeing their beauty. The self-portraits in the show are a reflection of an environment none are a witness to except for the self. I am encouraged to explore this space as it holds an authentic reflection and reveals mark-making I can’t find while looking outside of myself.

Khoza’s primary medium, watercolours, complements this exploration of connection both through relationships and when turning inwards to face himself. The fluidity of the pigment when in contact with the water and its almost immediate integration the paper mimics the flow of emotion that exists between figures in the show.