Portrait of Tuli Mekondjo, 2021. Photo by Christian Stiebahl
Hales is delighted to announce representation of Tuli Mekondjo (b. 1982, Kwanza-Sul, Angola). Mekondjo has exhibited widely across Africa and Europe, her first solo US exhibition will open at Hales New York in September 2022.
Mekondjo’s richly multifaceted practice considers the sociohistorical context of Namibia as a site to re-evaluate and consider ideas around ancestry and identity. Her work brings to the fore colonial histories and their legacies, considering present echoes of the past. She threads together iconography of the earth and body with a spirituality influenced by Namibian heritage and its rituals.
Known for her mixed media and embroidered paintings, Mekondjo’s rigorous practice is a pursuit to connect with and honor her Namibian heritage. Her practice in both mixed media and performance, navigates feelings of displacement, having spent her childhood in refugee camps of Angola and Zambia during the Namibian War of Independence. Sensitive explorations of history and ancestry allow Mekondjo to address, question, and heal parts of this past, deftly weaving personal and collective trauma with beauty, nature and optimism.
Hales looks forward to partnering with Guns & Rain, Johannesburg, South Africa.
