JAN TSHIKHUTHULA 
LUTENDO

21 May - 12 June 2022 | Everard Read Franschhoek | 20 Huguenot Road

Everard Read Franschhoek is proud to present a new solo exhibition by Jan Tshikhuthula entitled Lutendo. 
This body of work was made during his residency at Everard Read at Leeu Estates in 2022.

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My story started with how I got my name - Jan. I asked my family why I was named after my grandfather and the meaning thereof. I found out it was just a name, and it didn’t mean anything special. The name worked well for my grandfather because his real name was very difficult to pronounce. During that time, my grandfather had to go to the white farms to ask for work and it was easier for them to give someone work with the name Jan, because they were familiar with the name and could form a connection with it.

When I couldn’t find any significant and relevant information about my name, I realised it is not so much about the name but more about my behaviour, and how I behave like my grandfather. I realised that if I can start using this concept in my work it will become a way to connect with my grandfather. The use of windmills in my work enforces this connection because my family has always had a strong connection with water. When my father moved to Tzaneen in search of my grandfather he worked for the municipality where they installed waterpipes for the community. In this way the windmill becomes a symbol for the search of my grandfather and how I must discover him through my work, because no one else can do it for me. That is why I only draw from my imagination - to not be restricted and limited by pictures (or references). It gives me a space to play and freely search for (and discover) my grandfather’s spirit. In my work I depict the windmill standing on its own, forgotten, becoming a metaphor for how my grandfather is forgotten, and it is only through my work that I can find him. On its own a windmill means nothing (significant), just like how my name means nothing without my grandfather’s spirit.

During the time I had a little money, I bought a piece of land in a village called Matshila. The land had an old school building on it at the time. When I visited the land, the people started telling me about its history and I found out that the school was the only one in the area. This made me realise that sometimes you don’t actively have to do research, the universe will give the information to you if you work for it. I found out that the land is very precious and that the people in the area value the space as well as the education it provided them with. The school building and open land, that has also featured in previous artworks, has become a symbol of the people where I came from, and it connects the dots to where I am now. It also gives respect to the community who gave me that space (the land), because it wasn’t an easy process to get the land. The community decides if you can have the land, and therefore I felt the urge to represent the land in my artworks as well as visit it again.

In our culture when we visit the graveyard to talk to our ancestors - our grandfathers or great grandfathers, we use snuif in the UkuPhahla tradition. This is a difficult process for me, however, because I didn’t grow up with that knowledge or practice it. My mother is a Christian, so we only practiced the Christian religion and its beliefs. In a sense I feel that my art helped me to connect with my ancestors as it is easier to use something (a process) that you are familiar and comfortable with, rather than something unknown.

My artworks show all the places I’ve visited and where I come from. The first time I found my inspiration for the windmill was on a visit to Uganda for Artist Proof Studio. Initially I thought that everything will look and feel the same as in South Africa, but the visit changed my mind. Even though the landscapes are similar, the structures and foundations are different. The windmills are broken and run down in comparison to the ones I’v  e seen around Venda which are still standing strong. It was here that I realised that I could use the windmill to depict movement in my artworks.

In my artworks I depict the history that I aim to preserve. People have told me my works look like (represent) an ‘abandoned place’. It is not only the connection between me and my grandfather that I showcase - I also did research about the Venda culture. However, all I could find were artworks about the Zulu nation, nothing that depicted Venda. Being an artist and creating work for and about the Venda culture has become my way to create and add to the history. Even though I created these works in 2022, it looks like old artworks. The inclusion of modern-day elements that belong in today’s lifestyle, is the only link that the artworks are recently made. The historical look and feel of the artworks emphasise the search for my grandfather, because it looks like it was created during the time when he was still alive.

The falling apart structures that feature in my artworks link back to the structure of the windmills – even though they are not looked after, they are still standing upright. Often the representation of barbed wire is seen as a metaphor for pain, but my work is not all about pain, it is all about strength. There is a Shangaan proverb that reads that ‘the grey hair depends on the black hair’ - the grey hair was once a black hair, which means it has the knowledge of the black hair. This can be seen as a metaphor for how I depend on the history of my grandfather, as well as how I still depend on my family and my mother, and they depend on me too. No one in my family is working for someone else or in a company, we all use our own hands to make do.

I respect what I am doing right now with my art, because it emphasises the connection I have with my family. The flags that are often featured in my artworks represents unity, and each colour has its own meaning. A yellow or white flag means that you are welcome to visit the family. The white flag also represents Lobola and that that the family welcomes you. The green and red flag represents a certain religion, in this case the apostolic church. In most cases when I use the green or the red flag, I am depicting my mother, and the respect I have for her. The flags are in honour of her and her life and story.
- JAN TSHIKHUTHULA, 2022

EVERARD READ - 20 Huguenot Road
Franschhoek, 7690
South Africa
+27 21 876 2446 l fgallery@everard.co.za

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