Analysis Of The Purple Shall Govern By Mary Sibande

Process in the making of art is a series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a particular end.Exploring the process behind each artist is essential in twenty-first century art. My chosen artist,Mary Sibande , activates the human form by playing with hair, fabrics and her own body in the process of her artworks. She chooses these mediums to explore the construction of identity in an African context. I experiment with the materials milk bottles, polystyrene and wire as part of my journey.
Mary Sibande’s Conversations with Madam CJ Walker , (Figure 1),depicts the artist serving a portrait of Madam CJ Walker. CJ walker is the pioneer who brought black artificial hair into the South African market. The portrait of CJ Walker is constructed
Sibande's first love was fashion. She uses this passion to her advantage to create outlandish ball gowns in combination with root-like tentacles in which she explores fabric. The figure is life size and casted from her body. Sibande calls this figure Sophie- which represents her and her family, along with many Africa’s as an alter-ego. Sophie plays out these women’s fantasies and desires as she celebrates these women by glorifying domestic service and empowering the status of all women, focusing on women in Africa. In this work, root-like tentacles emerge out of the women’s costume and make up a fantasy, utopian world from which these figures emerge. She wishes not to tell a depressing story, as she claims that the country of South Africa is already depressing enough. Instead, she aims to acknowledge her past and not deny her family’s growth of three generations-working in the domestic workers service. Sibande highlights the struggles of history by using colour symbolically, and explores identity- through the manipulation of
Through this work Sibande explores the construction of identity within post-apartheid South Africa. Sibande's work reflects the stereotypical contextualisation of the black female body. The work was recognized by the Johannesburg Art City project of 2010 as the installation towered over the city on 19-ft billboards derived from Sibande’s 'Long Live the Dead Queen' exhibition.There is a stark juxtaposition between Sophie’s servitude and her status presence. Sibande's dress seems to act "as a prison for her flesh, keeping her limbs closely confined". They Don’t Make Them Like They Used To portrays Sophie as a seamstress, servicing the ambitions of others with work. Her eyes remain closed as if she daydreams; suggesting that, despite her restrictions, she uses dreaming as an escape from post-apartheid practices. Sibande explores the identity of women in Africa in a post-apartheid context through the use of fabrics, hair and casts of her body. She questions where she, amongst many other African women, fit into society. Similarity, I confront the audience with the fine line between surplus and scarcity through manipulating materials such as milk bottles and table cloth. Much like Sibande, I question where women fit into contemporary society verses outdated expectations forced upon us. I explore the migration of women, and confront the audience