A Review of Ubuhle Women: Beadwork and the Art of Independence
by Carol White Llewellyn
An exhibit of traditional beadwork at the Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester, NY through October 29, 2022
The word Ubuhle (pronounced Uh-buk-lay) means “beauty” in the Xhosa and Zulu languages. There couldn’t be a more apt word for the rich beadwork created by a community of women living and working together in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. These women have taken an ancient art reminiscent of Xhosa headscarves and skirts, and created a new and contemporary style of beading that combines organic and geometric shapes, to represent nature as well as to express their thoughts and emotions, in the Memorial Art Gallery's current Exhibit Ubuhle Women: Beadwork and the Art of Independence.
Co-founders Ntombephi “Induna” Ntobela and Bev Gibson (at right) collaborated to form an organization that would leverage the women’s beading heritage, creating employment and independence for rural women. Ntombephi contributed her beading skills, teaching the women to bead or to better refine their beading skills, while Bev contributed her business acumen. Meticulously hand-sewing glass beads from Czechoslovakia onto black cloth, the women who are part of this community create stunning works called ndwango (cloth), most of which take a year or more to complete.
One series, inspired by the women’s everyday life, is called “Bulls.” Each artist chose her own colors and represented the creatures in her own way. Some chose more traditional colors and format while other women played with the colors and lines of their subjects
There are a number of pieces in which multiple women collaborated, but inasmuch as you can see the panels are done by different artists, the forms, colors and theme within harmonize beautifully.
If you didn’t know that these women have probably had little exposure to outside art influences, you would swear one woman took inspiration from Van Gogh’s Starry Nights, and another from Katsushika Hokusai’s “The Great Wave off Kanagawa.”
One thing I enjoyed about this beautifully-curated exhibit is that many of the works are accompanied by the words of the artist. You might discover why the artist chose her particular color palette, or that the bull reminds her of a family member.
In the film that accompanies the exhibit, it is explained that many of these women experienced health hardships during their work on the pieces. Almost half of the artists represented in this exhibit passed away from cancer, HIV/AIDS or other illnesses. Often, the works take on a cathartic aspect, helping the women deal with their own health issues, or the death and illness of family and friends, almost as if they are beading their emotions into the fabric.
One of the most stunning pieces, “African Crucifixion” was originally commissioned to decorate the altar of a plain church and is enormous in size. Seven women worked together on it for a year, incorporating the theme of trees into the piece – the tree of destruction, the tree of sacrifice, the tree of life. As you work from left to right, the theme becomes increasingly vibrant and optimistic.
One of the very challenging things about this exhibit is keeping yourself from touching the works. The art has a three-dimensional quality, and between the colors of the beads, their luminosity, the intrigue of the designs, and the rich textures, I had to walk around with my hands and camera behind my back to keep from touching the works.
This is easily one of my favorite-ever exhibits and truly one that should not be missed. (Note that Photography does not nearly capture the beauty of this work)
Memorial Art Gallery is open Wednesday-Sunday, 11 am–5 pm, and Thursdays until 9 pm. Ubuhle Women: Beadwork and the Art of Independence runs through October 29, 2022.
