Mary Sibande: I Came Apart at the Seams

Right Now!, 2015

One of my favourite things is walking into a gallery knowing nothing about the artist and being absolutely blown away by their work.

I had never heard of Mary Sibande until I saw her exhibit ‘I Came Apart at the Seams’ at Somerset House in London. I didn’t know what to expect and then bam, there was her incredible work; bold and unapologetic, questioning the rules that society has made for us, challenging expectations and historical context.

To say that Sibande’s work made a lasting impression on me would be quite the understatement.

Mary Sibande (born 1982) is a South African artist who lives and works in Johannesburg. Her sculptures and photographs address the modern history of South Africa and its legacy in the country today.

Sibande is the model in both the photograph and sculptures, appearing as her alter-ego, Sophie. Clothed in elaborate handmade costumes, Sophie inhabits multiple roles and narratives that allow the artist to explore femininity, blackness, injustice and revolution in South Africa.

There are three series that define Sibande’s artistic career to date. Each series is marked by a symbolic change in the colour of Sophie’s costume. She is first encountered in the traditional blue uniform of a domestic servant as she dreams of the possibilities denied to her through discrimination and inequality.

Sophie is then transformed into a fantastical figure in purple who represents the bitter struggle against apartheid and the promise of equality. In her most recent incarnation, Sophie wears red, the colour of anger, as she gives form to popular disaffection and continued civil unrest across South Africa.

Sibande worked on her series ‘Long Live the Dead Queen’ from 2008 to 2013, and this is where we are introduced to her alter-ego Sophie working as a domestic maid. During South Africa’s apartheid, Sibande’s mother and grandmother were maids for middle class white households due to the restrictions imposed on the kinds of jobs they could perform. Maids were subject to very lower wages as well as poor living and working conditions and were vulnerable to manipulation and abuse.

I Put a Spell on Me, 2009

Living Memory, 2011

Today, although the restrictions of apartheid have been lifted, earning a living through domestic work remains a common occupation for disadvantaged black women. In ‘Long Live the Dead Queen’ we see Sophie dreaming of those possibilities denied to her because of her social status.

From 2013 to 2017 Sibande worked on her series ‘The Purple Shall Govern’, where we see that Sophie has undertaken a complete transformation, re-imagining herself as ‘The Purple Figure’ A dream of revolutionary struggle, this character embodies the suffering and eventual transition to power that defines the Anti-Apartheid Movement.

A Reversed Retrogress, Scene 2
Fibreglass, resin, fabric, steel, 2013

A Reversed Retrogress, Scene 2 (Sideview)
Fibreglass, resin, fabric, steel, 2013

The title of the series draws on the 1955 Freedom Charter of the African National Congress (ANC) and its allies, the opening principle of which demanded '‘The People Shall Govern’. Sibande also references the Purple Rain Protest which took place in 1989, when thousands of anti-apartheid, pro-democracy activists marched on the parliament building in Cape Town.

Police responded by spraying the protestors with a water canon filled with purple dye to mark the activists for identification and arrest. However, during the confrontation some of the protestors managed to turn the cannon back on the authorities, ensuring everyone involved - protestors, police, black and white citizens - became the same colour, symbolically blurring the line between race and power.

There’s a Storm in My Heart, 2019

In her latest series, “In the Midst of Chaos There is Also Opportunity’ which she has been working on since 2017, Sibande’s protagonist has once again been re-imagined. Now described as ‘The Red Figure’, Sophie expresses a sense of collective disillusionment and anger that the promise of equality that came with post-apartheid democracy has not been fulfilled. However, rather than being simply a destructive force, The Red Figure also occupies the role of a powerful healer and priestess. Empowered by the purpose and sacrifice of those that struggled against apartheid, she readies herself to administer to her nation as it faces renewed turmoil and unrest.

I am extremely excited to see where Sibande goes next with her art practice.

Find out more about Mary Sibande and see more of her work on her website.