Mzwanele ‘Rez Inyanzi’ Tshishonga

Li-Bala, 2024, Installation views

Li-Bala

by Mzwanele ‘Rez Inyanzi’ Tshishonga

Wits Tierney Fellow 2023/24

26 September

Li-Bala is a photographic exploration delving into themes of memory, loss, emotional displacement, and closure through a careful consideration of objects and their capacity to capture essence and presence. The title Libala, derived from isiXhosa, carries a multifaceted significance as it can mean to forget, denote a colour, refer to a space or field, or even signify a mark. This intersection of meanings embodies the core of this work, reflecting an understanding of memory as a complex shade or colour. In this study, I investigate how our attempts to forget can inadvertently create new realms of memory. The images serve as a medium through which I also explore my own relationship with my parents and the ways it has shaped and coloured me as a being. This introspective journey sheds light on the memories we cling to, even when they seem obsolete or no longer serve a purpose. Li-Bala invites viewers to engage with the subjective dance with memory, that sways in ways that only need to be true to our individualised rhythm. 

Photography by Siyanda Marrengane