THE monkey is a symbol of wit and humour and shows the fun side of Ardmore Ceramic Art. That quirkiness has been captured in the ‘Celebrating the Year of the Monkey’ exhibition at Charles Greig Jewellers in Hyde Park, Johannesburg, from August 12 to August 29.
Monkeys are often depicted as mischievous figures in myth, legend and lore – and anyone who has seen them frolicking in the wild can testify to this fact.
Pulling The Pythons Tail
Teboho Ndlovu and Wiseman Ndlovu
It’s something which has been beautifully captured by Tebogo Ndlovu in a work titled ‘Pulling the Python’s Tail’. This large bowl features a python, which curls and writhes along the edge, each scale beautifully rendered along the twisting snake’s skin. Adding a playful feel are some delightful monkeys who run away from and taunt the python.
Painter, Wiseman Ndlovu, has, using black and gold, added power to the slithering python and has added witty expressions to each of the monkeys, which gives the piece a lightness and playfulness.
Another stunning work is Tebogo’s hand-coiled Bronco Bowl, featuring a bucking zebra, which has just kicked a monkey in his behind.
Around them a troop of monkeys tumble and play in a frivolous pursuit of fun. It’s clear to see that Tebogo enjoyed sculpting this action- and comedy-filled masterwork.
Bronco Bowl
Tebogo Ndlovu’s hand-coiled Bronco Bowl painted by Wiseman Ndlovu. Photo: Ardmore Ceramic Art
Painter, Sthabiso Hadebe, chose a palette of greens contrasted against black and white, for the bowl. The work has a wonderful rhythm, thanks to the colours that weave their way in and out, while the addition of delicious monster plants and cycad pods increase the jungle fever feeling.
Monkeys and baboons also feature in a new range of works featuring rickshaws. The oriental feel of these works is, in part, a tribute to the Indian Hindu god Hanuman, who is worshipped as a divine protector and an embodiment of strength. The mere mention of his name is said to dispel and remove negativity.
Tiger Rickshaw
This Tiger Rickshaw was made by Betty Betty Ntshingilaand painted by Mthulisi Ncube.
Baboons too were worshipped in the past. In ancient Egypt sexual potency and prowess were associated with the baboon gods Bebon and Baba (Babi), while the squatting baboon became an early, visible and protective form of Thoth, a god associated with knowledge and scribes.
Ardmore has celebrated these gods in various works, including in a monumental urn with a baboon guard on the lid. The work, which was thrown by Lovemore Sithole, sculpted by Qiniso Mungwe and painted with wonderful baboon imagery by Zinhle Nene.
Jonathan Scobie, a missionary in Japan, is widely credited with inventing the rickshaw in 1869 as a way to transport his wife through the streets of Yokohama.
Some twenty years later rickshaws appeared in India and arrived in Durban thanks to sugar magnate, Sir Marshall Campbell, in 1893.There were once hundreds of colourful rickshaw pullers plying their trade in the city. The 25 that operate today are all that remain of this rich history.
The rickshaw men – who journey up and down the Golden Mile in their beaded costumes and impressively horned headgear – are not the only rickshaw pullers, however. In traditional Ardmore fashion, their talented artists have created works featuring, amongst other creatures, baboons, zebras and tigers.
Zebra Rickshaw
The work was made by Thulani Mtungwa and painted by Senzo Duma.
Speaking about the latest Ardmore works, which are sure to delight collectors,Fée Halsted, founder of Ardmore Ceramic Art, said: “The artists and I have had so much fun and have enjoyed working in collaboration with Christopher Greig to produce new works for the ‘Celebrating the Year of the Monkey’ exhibition.
“The new rickshaw sculptures are a tribute to the wonderful cross-cultural images that make Durban and KwaZulu-Natal unique and colourful – and our province is alive with naughty monkeys. Their energy and vitality make our province tropical, rich and spicy.”
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Charles Greig, which is at Shop 13, Hyde Park Corner, Middle Mall, Johannesburg, is open from 9 am to 6 pm.
Phone for more information.
ABOUT ARDMORE CERAMIC ART
Ardmore Ceramic Art is one of South Africa’s greatest creative success stories.
In 1985, Fée Halsted started teaching her first student, Bonnie Ntshalintshali, on the Ardmore farm in the Drakensberg in KwaZulu-Natal. Five years later, in 1990, Bonnie and Fée jointly won the prestigious Standard Bank Young Artist Award at the National Arts Festival.
The work of the studio’s artists has been sold at Christies, Sotheby’s and Bonham’s in London and to collectors in New York, Los Angeles and Paris; and Ardmore’s beautiful imagery is being used on a new range of patterned scarves – ‘La March du Zambèze’ and ‘Savanna Dance’ – as part of a collaboration with luxury French brand, Hermès.
At its base overlooking the scenic Lion’s River you can meet the artists at work, view the Bonnie Ntshalinthsali Museum that houses historic pieces, as well as the Zulu Cultural and HIV/Aids Collections, and take a beautiful piece of Ardmore home to admire forever!
- For more information visit ardmoreceramics.co.za or contact Clint Pavkovich via email at for details.