BONGANI TSHABALALA
Participant
Bongani Tshabalala is a self-taught photographer whose contemporary style is narrating the stories of African people. Tshabalala is motivated by the need to paint a more diversified picture and is inspired by the people he meets. His photography focuses on topics other than himself, using a stark contrast of light and dark, and artistic agency to frame specific representations of South African male beings in those subjects’ presence. He draws inspiration from his hometown when writing tales that take place in townships.
“Photography to me is more than just clicking the shutter speed it’s more of connecting with my subjects,”
re·li·gion
re·li·gion – the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods:
Moya is a spiritual calling that only specific people experience and understand, it is a journey that allows one to connect with a higher power or ancestral clans.
Batho Ba Moya is a visual representation that seeks to explore how people navigate their need for spiritual belonging and desire for acceptance in a religious society. This work of artistic expression evolved out of a personal yearning for spiritual direction and awareness of my surroundings. I wanted to concentrate on the people and how they related to their beliefs. My art explores the discourses, symbolism, and rituals that take place at Jericho Apostolic Church.