“It has to start somewhere, ît has to start some time, what better time than here? What better time than now?” – Zack de la Rocha
Limpopo born artist, Walter Maluleke, has carried with him the spirit of art for as long as he can remember. From being the unruly child who drew in schoolbooks, and on the walls of his family home, to being the one who won all the art prizes and then the one who shared his skill set with the next generation as an art teacher.
Maluleke’s creativity is one which pays homage to the journey travelled which got him this far, instead focusing on an unknown destination. This is evident in his choices of subject matter and medium. Traditional grass mats, depictions of sprawling rural landscapes and three-legged pots, all speak of that which has gotten him this far. It would be expected of Maluleke to have put behind him any reminders of the humble beginnings from which he came, once he had reached the big city of Johannesburg. However, it is his rural upbringing, along with the sacrifice and support of his mother who grew him and his siblings up, that become ever-present fixtures in his work.
The three-legged pots (commonly known as izimbiza), are used metaphorically as personifications of his mother, who served as nurturer, sage and guide. In much the same way that a pot holds substance in it to nurture, Maluleke doubles down on these attributes, at times expanding on these qualities to touch on the wisdom and guiding influence his mother played in his life as a sin. This, Walter Maluleke, portrays by flipping the imbiza upside down and presenting it on top of his mother in a manner which transforms this simple utilitarian object to one mimic that of a royal crown. Placed on her head the pot now become a vessel which holds knowledge, alluding to a mother’s ability to guide through wisdom similar to that of any wise monarch. Maluleke pays respect to the matriarchal presence and influence of his mother.
His home of Limpopo is referenced frequently, perhaps most recognizably in the Niklandscapes of rolling hills and vast rural scenes he presents, but also far more subtly through his use of the grass mat as a sub straight for his works. Here Maluleke uses the grass mat as a resting place for his creations. Mirroring their intended purpose of the mats as traditional resting place and ushering them into an artistic context where they become replacements of the expected canvas and paper sub straights.
Maluleke’s is a practice which unapologetically reminds us that these are narratives of African realities and that maybe the best means of presenting these narratives is by utilizing elements which speak directly to authentic African experiences.