Alone In Spring

Kimathi Mafafo’s (1984 -) multidisciplinary practice ranges from embroidery and oil painting to installation. Her work is characterised by images of lush greenery and sensuous drapery and her belief in the beauty of the black female form.

Mafafo was born in the semi-arid Northern Cape and her verdant imaginings are far removed from the mining town of Kimberly where she grew up. Her works, inspired by a sense of Motherhood, are scenes of visual escape combined with a desire to re-connect with nature. This nurturing sentiment allows Mafafo to re imagine her own body in alternate environments. Whilst she is not the subject her imagined muse is a beautiful, powerful, universal and nurturing form.

'Alone in Spring' is Mafafo's first solo exhibition with EBONY/Curated. Mafafo explains that this series of paintings is based around a simple narrative: A woman withdraws from the urban landscape and retreats into a lush forest. She is alone but not lonely. Springtime is spent wandering through the forest seeking solace and inner strength in the vast loneliness. To her surprise, she encounters a small, colourful bird who becomes a symbol of the beauty of nature and freedom found in loneliness.