sprout. (2023)

Dimensions: 180x150x6cm (closed); 180x300x3cm (opened)

Materials: wood, oil, paint, pastels, pigment, prints on paper, bronze, charcoal, acrylic, brass, aluminium, steel, varnish, parchment paper

Artwork description: This multi-media piece is a vibrant depiction of Mothers 2 Mothers. On the doors, a seed is planted within the silhouette of Table Mountain painted below an image of Khayelitsha, Cape Town. Behind the doors hides a tree, visualising the passing down of knowledge and care through mentorship, branching the mothers together, and rooting them through their relationships with each other. From the roots, through the trunk, through the branches, the nutrients and water flow in a stream to reach each leaf. As the tree branches out it grows bigger and wider, symbolising the transmission of knowledge and care. The imagery inspired by church paintings elevates and celebrates the mothers through iconography. The gold especially evokes ascension into a celestial realm. The inside of the doors brings together what lies outside to what lies within.