Lukhanyo Mdingi’s eponymous label has always been a vessel in which design acts as an instrument. Through this vessel, a comprehensive record can be kept that is  both contemporary and historical, of human ingenuity in South Africa and Africa at large. 

In 2022, the label showcased ‘Provenance’ - a first of its kind exhibition, demonstrating the many textual, collaborative and archival facets of the brand. The intention of ‘Provenance’ is to uncover the very root; and the first iteration of Provenance was an invitation to understand the deep intentionality of South African fashion design through Mdingi’s artistic and meticulous record-keeping lens.

For Provenance Part II, the focus is extended beyond fashion and design and into a variety of the integral components which indeed make up Lukhanyo Mdingi as a label - and further to this, ways in which the deep lineage of Bantu indigeneity and Black Consciousness in South Africa has manifested, as it forged and kindled the flame of its intellectual and creative expression. This edition of Provenance encourages a curious inquiry into the role of colonialism and mission-work in South Africa’s history, and how the introduction of certain frameworks across textiles, literature and music have become integrated into our forms of expression - always with the foundation of indigeneity at the centre. 

Co-curated with visual artist Banele Khoza and The MANOR - Part II demonstrates three thematic focuses: Theme I - Textile, Theme II - Literature and Theme III - Music.

‍Each of these themes showcases the transformation of raw materials, language, and sound into intricate expressions of culture, art, and identity. This material  transformation has taken place over centuries as it has shaped the very essence of the South African spirit. Intrinsic to this exhibition is the deeply held understanding of the unbroken chain of ancestorship, as Provenance Part II inquires into the material and physical manifestation of the material lineages of textile, literature and music. We only know who we are in the present, by tracking who we were in the past. It is for this reason that Provenance Part II hopes to inspire the urgent call for record-keeping, a prerequisite for contemporary generations to take up the mantle of preservation and honouring of the contributions that have made this spirit manifest - as we continue.
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