Athi-Patra Ruga (b. 1984, Mthatha)

iiNyanga Zonklaya

2021, wool and thread on tapestry canvas, 250 × 150 cm.

Photo by Eva Presenhuber. Courtesy of the artist and WHATIFTHEWORLD. ©Athi-Patra Ruga.

Two women strike dramatic poses in mid-air. It seems like they are dancing, or having a fight. The woman on the left is dressed in the style of the Women’s Methodist Manyano, a church organization founded on Christian Values. The woman on the right is dressed as a makoti, a newly married woman in isiXhosa culture.  iiNyanga Zonyaka (the months of the year) is a series of works by Ruga that creates new myths to tell the history of South Africa from the perspective of people who have been historically erased from the narrative. This artwork tells the story of Nomalizo Khwezi, one of the main characters in the story. Nomalizo is a queer woman torn between two sides of her identity. This is symbolized by western dress of the Women’s Manyano, and the traditional dress worn by makoti. Nomalizo represents the new young generation of South Africans, who can shape their own identities outside of the boundaries of Western and traditional culture.