Fiberworks - A Celebration of South African
Fiber and Textile Artists

Title: Akungenwa - Midlands Farm

Description: Sue Physick is from the beautiful Midlands of Kwa-Zulu Natal. She re-cycles paper waste, scrap metal and other fibres into collages and three dimensional forms.

She has always been attracted to the aesthetic beauty of objects relating to spiritual worship. Russian icons, Moslem Mosques, Ethiopian Crucifixes and Labyrinths all inspire her. An enduring theme in her work is ‘the sacred space’.

The work on this exhibition is called ‘Akungenwa – Midlands Farm.’ Akungenwa is the Zulu word meaning ‘keep out’. Farms in the Midlands have lately been the scene of violent, seemingly inexplicable crimes.

These attacks have been the subject of much debate and one theory is that they are related to the Zimbabwean farm invasions where prime land is seen to be still in the hands of white farmers while the local black people remain poor and landless. Recently, two large farms have been divided up and artists and crafters have set up homes and small business which have largely displaced the Zulu labourers whose families had lived, died and been buried on the land for generations. Ancestor worship is a Zulu custom and grave sites are hallowed ground – a problem for both the new landowner and the displaced labourer.

Title: Friends with Flowers

Description: I work mainly in paper - making it, dyeing it, re-cycling it. I usually produce mixed media work often incorporating beads, metal or bone for example. Most of my works carry some form of social comment.  There are so many issues that need to be addressed in my home province of Kwa-Zulu Natal.

I was recently invited to participate in a group 'Paintathlon' where artists were invited to produce works that were ' uplifting and visually pleasing'. These works are to hang in a local Magistrate’s Court that deals with women and their issues. It was such a wonderful experience that I decided to produce these two works to honour the times I share with my friends. We meet, retreat, and work together regularly - however we usually keep our clothes on!

Title: Friends with Fruit

Description:

Title: TRIPTYCH

1) Red Land 2) X Marks the Spot 3) Noughts and Crosses

Description: Poverty, land evictions, low wages and great expectations by workers and owners alike have taken their toll on our land. Over 800 farmers and farm workers have been murdered in South Africa. Many homes have been destroyed and pastures burned. Politicians appear to be PLAYING GAMES, pitting farmer against labour tenant, buyer against seller and no winner in sight. This triptych is part of a series I am working on called 'Noughts and Crosses'.

Title: Still Life

Description: A social comment on the plummeting average life expectancy in South Africa. At the moment it is 36 years of age.

Sue Physick