TRACING THE IDEA OF AFRICAN VERNACULAR-ROOTED ART: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF SELECTED CONTEMPORARY SOUTH AFRICAN AND NIGERIAN ARTISTS (2007-2016) By SULE AMEH JAMES Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of DPhil Visual Studies in the FACULTY OF HUMANITIES UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA November 2019 Promoters: Prof. Sylvester Okwunodu Ogbechie & Dr Rory du Plessis DECLARATION Student number: 16353456 I understand what plagiarism entails and am aware of the University’s policy in this regard. I declare that this thesis is my own, original work. Where someone else’s work was used (whether from a printed source, the internet or any other source) due acknowledgement was given and reference was made according to departmental requirements. I did not make use of another student’s previous work and submit it as my own. I did not allow and will not allow anyone to copy my work with the intention of presenting it as his or her own work. Signature.............................................. Date: 28 November 2019 ii ABSTRACT In this study, I seek to explore how contemporary art created by Nigerian and South African artists can be described to be rooted in an African vernacular. To this end, I conducted a comparative analysis of the cultural imageries and symbolisms of four Nigerian and four South African artists. For each of the artists, five of their works produced between 2007 and 2016 were purposively sampled. Thus, the study investigates forty works within the ten year period. The comparative analysis focuses on visual hermeneutics theory and art historical methodologies (formal analysis). Accordingly, the analysis examines the artists’ personal influences, training, frames of reference, knowledge base and philosophy as well as reception of their works. Given the fact that most of the selected artists are excluded from mainstream art historical research because their works are said to be outside the normative contemporary art standards, this study establishes that the trend of their art is significant and should be researched. For that reason, the selected artists were included in this study so as to contribute a mainstream art historical discourse on their artworks. In the theoretical underpinning of this study, it is argued that although vernacular arts were produced in historical African arts context, nevertheless the contemporary modes of cultural appropriations in artworks by the selected academically trained artists are not a continuation of the historical African. Therefore this study establishes that the adoption of the term African vernacular rooted in narrating contemporary African arts produced by Nigerian and South African artists is a rethink in the use of the old term in opening up new discourse on engagement with cultural imageries and symbolisms. As a result, this research argues that their ideological trends in appropriating cultural imageries in arts are not a different form of contemporary African art. The significance of this research lies in the contribution of knowledge to the existing literature on global contemporary African art, and in initiating the exercise of documenting visual culture of artists from both countries. Although the study provides a wider insight into appropriations of cultural symbolisms in the works of these artists, it shows that some of the artists focus their visual narratives on specific dominant vernacular tropes or cultural imageries and symbolisms in narrating experiences from past and present occurrences in both countries. However, many of the dominant cultural symbolisms are basically depictions of either young black African children or compositions showing African men and women. However, they narrate different experiences and aspects of African socio-cultural life. Significantly, the depictions in the artworks of the contemporary artists demonstrate, in different heterogeneous ways, African identities through cultures, heritage, history and identity. Furthermore, most of the African vernacular rooted arts discussed in this study reveal influences from environmental factors such as migration, homelessness, African humanism, socio-cultural ceremonies, cultural and racial unity, oppression, ritual murders, and family life. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I sincerely appreciate God Almighty for seeing me through this study. I hereby acknowledge the University of Pretoria’s bursary support, as well as Federal College of Education, Zaria, Nigeria for granting me study leave to undertake this study. I sincerely appreciate their different roles without which this study would not have been possible. My profound gratitude goes to my promoters, Professor Sylvester Okwunodu Ogbechie (UCSB) and Dr Rory du Plessis, who as supervisor and co-supervisor guided me through difficult terrain to realise the completion of this study. I sincerely appreciate Professor Amanda du Preez for her support from the beginning of the study, as well as other members of staff in the Department of Visual Arts, University of Pretoria, who were helpful during this programme. In addition, I am grateful to Professor Gilbert Onwu, one of the consultants at the research unit in the Graduate centre of the University, for helping me with the foundational aspect of my research. To each interviewed artist who shared their thoughts and artworks for the success of this study, I am grateful. Most importantly, I wish to thank my family – my wife Olubunmi Omobola and our promised children for their endurance and support to see me complete this study. I thank my father and mother, Pa James and Mummy Aipu Ameh, the Ogidiolu’s, my brothers, Ameh, Ijachi, Ocho, Edward, Friday and sisters and their families. To my friends, especially Miracle Amoni, and Pastor Gabriel Oladija for their supports during my study, I am grateful. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION ........................................................................................... ii ABSTRACT ................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .............................................................................. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS................................................................................. v LIST OF FIGURES......................................................................................... viii CHAPTER ONE 1.1 Introduction 1 1.2 Scope and delimitations of the study................................................. 2 1.3 Objectives of the study....................................................................... 3 1.4 Background and identification of research problem ......................... 4 1.5 Literature review ............................................................................... 17 1.5.1 Contemporary African Art......................................................... 17 1.5.2 South African Art ...................................................................... 19 1.5.3 Nigerian Art ............................................................................... 20 1.6 Theoretical framework ........................................................................ 22 1.7 Research design.................................................................................... 22 1.8 Original contribution ........................................................................... 23 1.9 Summary of chapters ........................................................................... 24 CHAPTER TWO INTERROGATION OF AFRICAN VERNACULAR-ROOTED ART IN NIGERIA AND SOUTH AFRICA 33 2.1 Introduction.......................................................................................... 33 2.2 Articulation and motivation for theoretical framework......................... 38 2.3 Methodology......................................................................................... 39 2.4 The concept of African vernacular-rooted artworks.............................. 39 2.5 African vernacular symbolisms in pastoral landscape paintings .......... 39 2.6 Findings and discussion ........................................................................ 54 2.7 Social issues in Afrocentric vernacular paintings ................................. 57 2.8 Findings and discussion ........................................................................ 70 2.9 African vernacular-rooted symbolisms in sculptures with socio-cultural themes 72 2.10 Findings and discussion ......................................................................... 82 2.11 African vernacular-rooted imageries in socio-political thematic sculptures 84 2.12 Findings and discussion............................................................................ 94 2.13 Conclusion .............................................................................................. 96 CHAPTER THREE AFRICAN VERNACULAR TROPES IN THE ARTWORKS BY SOUTH AFRICAN ARTISTS, NELSON MAKAMO AND LEBOHANG SITHOLE 3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................. 98 3.2 Nelson Makamo ....................................................................................... 98 3.3 Analysis of vernacular tropes in Nelson Makamo’s artworks.................. 102 3.4 Sub-conclusion.......................................................................................... 113 3.5 Lebohang Sithole ..................................................................................... 114 v 3.6 Analysis of vernacular tropes in Lebohang Sithole’s works ................... 116 3.7 Sub-conclusion..........................................................................................