S C U L P T O R

www.xhanti.co.za

For sales and more information please contactSCULPTURE CASTING SERVICES

Warren Knight 021 853 6450 . 083 321 9365warrenknight@live.co.za

orJohn Mast 082 788 9312woodbend@iafrica.com

Copyright © 2012 Carina LochnerThe material in this publication is copyrighted and may not be copied, reproduced or distributed without

express written permission from the copyright holder.

Inspired by childhood memories of growing up in rural South Africa, Xhanti sculpts figures depicting life in the rolling hills of the Transkei. Here, men often leave their families to work in the mines, and women are left to raise children and tend farmlands. Xhanti’s sculptures are testament to these strong men and women. He captures their emotions, their bodies, their actions.

With names like Smoking Grandmother, Mother and Child, African Man and Shepherd Boy, Xhanti’s memories and imaginative ideas are brought to life in sculptures that are both beautiful

and sensitive to his heritage.

Xhanti began sculpting as a young boy, making figurines from clay. Today, he is mentored by Warren Knight of Sculpture Casting Services. Xhanti designs his work in clay or wax, which is then cast in bronze. His art is available from selected outlets, and he exhibits regularly. One of his first sculptures – an old man bearing a load of worries on his shoulders – is displayed in

the Lwandle Migrant Labour Museum.

Xhanti now lives and works in Asanda Village, Nomzamo – a township in the Helderberg Basin, near Cape Town.

A R T I S T & S C U L P T O R

CHICHI2012

Height: 103 cmWeight: 29 kgEdition: 15

ChiChi believes that it’s not the clothes she wears that make herbeautiful, rather she makes her clothes look beautiful.Chichi wears what her people have worn for centuries, with pride, and her radiance makes her beautiful!In today’s world, people veryseldom wear traditional garments. Instead, modern fashionable clothes are worn - these are very far removed from our cultural heritage. Have we moved so far from our roots?

DREAMER2011

Height: 61 cmWeight: 14.3 kg

Edition: 15

I am so happy!I have been dreaming about it for

so long, and now it has happened. Dance and sing to celebrate with me!

Do you also know that magicalfeeling of hoping for something special, of wanting it so much,

then finally, finally getting it?Isn’t it wonderful?

Doesn’t it make your heart soar?

VUYO2011

Height: 113 cmWeight: 21.8 kg

Edition: 10

Vuyo is the Xhosa word for much happiness. In the 1950’s

communication between the wives at home in the Transkei and their husbands on the mines was

difficult. There had been a collapse at the mine where this woman’s

husband worked and after days of worry she has just heard that he

is safe.

LeftPAZAZZ MAQUETTE

2011

Height: 69.5 cmWeight: 8.5 kg

Edition: 15

PAZAZZ2010

Height: 100 cmWeight: 17.5 kg

Edition: 8

This is a stunningly beautiful woman traditionally dressed for a

special occasion. Xhosa fashion would normally require a scarf

headdress, but Western fashion is influencing her to wear a hat.

LeftDANCER

2009

Height: 70 cmWeight: 10 kg

Edition: 15

This woman has just heard good news. Her husband is returning

home after eleven months of working in the city. She is delighted

and will invite her friends to join her in her happiness.

NTOMBI2010

Height: 115 cmWeight: 17 kg

Edition: 8

Ntombi is the Xhosa word describing a young maiden. Girls usually wear short skirts, but this

ntombi’s skirt is special.She will help her mother in the home and

look after the small children

JOY2009

Height: 75 cmWeight: 5.5 kgEdition: 15

Xhosa women are happy by nature – they sing and dance whenever they can. This woman is at peace with the world and is dancing for joy.

RightINTERCESSOR2008

Height: 41 cmWeight: 4 kgEdition: 15

Xhosa women play a major role in prayer and maintaining the faith of the family. This woman is interceding for her husband who is working in the city. The Church family provides a sure foundation for her and her children.

SOCCER PLAYERS2009

Height: 14 cmWeight: 3 kgEdition: 15

These boys are playing soccer.Their ball is made of intertwined plastic bags. Soccer is the preferred sport for boys, and they all have hopes of playing for a major club when they grow up.

LeftFOOD CHAIN

2009

Height: 19 cmWeight: 4.5 kg

Edition: 15

This lady is playing with the dog while feeding her baby.This is

a distraction for her baby and a temptation for her dog. Pets play

a huge part in the life of Xhosa children

CORN GRINDING WOMANv2009

Height: 30 cmWeight: 5 kg

Edition: 15

This woman is preparing food for the extended family,

which, in many cases, includes grandparents, uncles and aunts,

nephews and nieces as well as close friends. As ground corn is a

staple food and is also the basis for brewing beer, she will do this

for several hours almost every day.

YOKE OF POVERTY2009

Height: 69 cmWeight: 10 kgEdition: 15

Traditionally a Xhosa man measures his wealth by his cattle. This father spent his whole life building a herd, but is finding that demands from the family in the modern world cannot easily be financed only from cattle. He has no other training and is at a loss as to what to do.

BRAVE MOTHER2007

Height: 46 cmWeight: 6.5 kgEdition: 15

This woman’s husband died in a mine accident. She earns money by collecting and selling firewood, and by hoeing her neighbour’s fields. While the mothers work in the fields, older children look after their babies under a tree at the side of the field.

SMOKING GRANDMOTHER2007

Height: 81 cmWeight: 11.5 kg

Edition: 15

Older folk are highly respected in Xhosa culture, and this

grandmother is no exception. She is very happy as she undertakes

her daily tasks that are almost entirely related to minding the

children. She regales them with folklore and sees that they go to school. She grows her own

tobacco.

SHEPHERD BOY2007

Height: 28 cmWeight: 3 kgEdition: 15

This boy looks after his father’s cattle. Because cattle are the family’s major asset, he will focus on the herds rather than his education and will only spend a few years at school. All his clothes are passed down from his father and friends who no longer need them. They are usually grossly oversized but warm.

BACK TO BACK2008

Height: 46 cmWeight: 7.5 kg

Edition: 15

These two women carrying sticks are performing a traditional

initiation dance. They move around in circles bumping into each

other from time to time. Life in the country is full of fun especially for

the children, and there are many opportunities for dancing.

MOTHER AND CHILD2007

Height: 21 cmWeight: 4.5 kg

Edition: 15

This mother takes care of her baby, loving and soothing him

so that he sleeps. This baby only understands his mother as his

father is mostly absent, working as a migrant worker.

AFRICAN WOMAN2008

Height: 46 cmWeight: 3.5 kgEdition: 15

This woman is dressed for a formal occasion.This could be for a wedding, Umgidi (initiation), a funeral or visiting a celebrity.

AFRICAN MAN2008

Height: 46 cmWeight: 7.5 kg

Edition: 15

This man has just returned from working in Cape Town after

being away for many months.All his friends and family come

to welcome him home. He is dressed in Western style clothes, and he smokes Western tobacco

in a Western pipe.

DESIGN: CARINA LOCHNER 082 699 2075 PHOTOGRAPHY: CARINA LOCHNER & ROB POMPEDIGITAL PRINTING: CASTLE GRAPHICS 021 510 0655

APRIL 2012