Nghidishange builds house of connection

In visual artist Elisia Nghidishange’s ‘House of Connection’, patrons are invited to step inside their own consciousness.

At the National Art Gallery of Namibia, this mental space takes the form of a large, blue dwelling connected to the exterior by a series of colourful strings.

Patrons are encouraged to choose an outer string, enter the dwelling and see what it is connected to inside. Nghidishange, who fashioned the house from fabric, found objects, metal, sand and paint, has been delighted to see her large scale installation at work.

The centre piece of her fifth solo exhibition, which includes mixed media sculptures, reliefs and lino-prints, the title installation employs objects such as cell phones, Christmas ornaments, empty alcohol bottles, baby shoes, headphones, a kettle and even a firearm to spark inquiries into connection.

“‘House of Connection’ was created through my observations of different moments between people and how we live and connect with each other in this world,” says Nghidishange.

“I wanted to come up with an exhibition that will make us aware of our connections, whether those connections are between people, people and objects or object to object,” she says.

“I want to make people a little bit more aware of themselves. If you are very connected to certain objects, do you also give yourself time to say hi to your family and friends or are you just up in it and you forget about everything else?”

Nghidishange asserts that connections can be both good and bad. According to the artist, a number of patrons who embarked on the journey of selecting an object, found that its counterpart resonated with them profoundly.

While the exhibition invites patrons to reflect on their connections, their relationship to certain objects as well as the reasons for any disconnection, it is also a site in which Nghidishange connects to herself, particularly in a series of ‘Reconnection’ sculptures.

“This is myself,” says Nghidishange, gesturing to a collection of elongated, upside-down fabric and metal sculptures with clay bases.

“Sometimes you feel like you’re upside down when it comes to life, your crossroads and where you come from. When I held my first solo exhibition, it was ceramic incorporated with papier-mâché.

“I like incorporating mediums and connecting them together,” she says.

“So, in this case, it’s me reconnecting to my roots and where I came from. I came from pottery. Today, I’m back to it.”

In a personal piece titled ‘Mama Feeding Pot’, Nghidishange connects to her childhood, her siblings and to her mother through sculpture. The artwork depicts children suckling at the apparatus her mother used to brew the traditional beer that helped to support Nghidishange’s family financially.

Finding connection to music in the lino print ‘Rhythm’ and in the togetherness illustrated in a sculpture named the same, Nghidishange presents a captivating, perceptive and stylistic fifth offering that sees the artist embarking on a promising expansion into installation.

‘House of Connection’, presented in collaboration with StArt Art Gallery, will be on display at the National Art Gallery of Namibia until 2 November.

– martha@namibian.com.na ; Martha Mukaiwa on Twitter and Instagram; marthamukaiwa.com