Self-taught artist Tuli Mekondjo works with mixed media (embroidery, collage, paint, resin and mahangu grain – a Namibian food staple) and extends these textured media into performance.
Drawing on photographic archives and histories of the loss and erasure of Namibian cultural practices, she explores history and identity politics through the lens of those who lived in exile during Namibia’s independence war. Sensitive botanical vines pay homage to her forebears, fertility and continuity, whilst veiled figures comment on gendered struggle, inter-generational trauma, and displacement, bearing a quiet grief and a quest for truth.
Mekondjo has now exhibited at multiple fairs and in multiple group shows, including museum shows, in South Africa, Namibia, France and the UK. Her works are held in multiple international collections. Tuli Mekondjo is the recipient of the prestigious DAAD Artists-in-Berlin Program in 2022.
© Guns and Rain
Tuli Mekondjo is represented by Guns and Rain and Hales