Dumalitshona

Southern Guild is pleased to present Dumalitshona, a solo exhibition of ceramic sculptures by Madoda Fani, opening in Cape Town on 22 November (until 29 January 2026). Fani summons a new anthropomorphic language holding weight and lightness in equal measure, a symbiotic
invocation of earth and spirit in tribute to his Xhosa lineage. Dumalitshona, meaning “beyond matter”, refers to the isibongo (traditional praise name) the artist was given by the elders in his community in recognition of his achievements. Over the past 10 years, the artist has established his practice as a sculptural evolution of traditional Nguni pottery, stretching its contours and reimagining the pure expressive form of ceramics beyond functionality.

The works in Dumalitshona oscillate between volume and surface, an interrelation highlighted by the uniform treatment of their dark, unglazed exteriors. Fani hand-builds each form intuitively, foregoing preparatory sketches or working to a predetermined idea. He describes the meditative act of sculpting and carving as the experience of being partly here and partly elsewhere, saying: “Time stills itself. I am entirely at ease. The clay tells me where it wants to go.”

Many of the exhibition’s works have ample round bases that give rise to attenuated necks; several stand on tripod legs planted in the earth; while others taper upwards into sharp hooks. Fani’s silhouettes twist and sway, buoyed by their inherent strength, poised between this world and the next. In their precision and purity, the sculptures offer an illusory viewing experience: at first encounter they appear to have been carved from timber or cast in bronze, revealing their clay origins only on closer inspection.

There is a rhythm that runs through Fani’s work – a quiet pulse that animates each piece. It stirs in the contours of his vessels, in the ripples of each incision that seem to extend beyond the surface of the form’s peripheries. This rhythm belongs to clay itself: an earth-born material
bound to cycles of transformation, ever returning to its origin; from soil to form, fire to hand, from completion back into becoming. It is the rhythm of paradox: of surrender and precision, stillness and movement, fullness and void. Within this cadence is the meditation of making, the patient conversation between mind and medium.

Fani’s aesthetic influences are consistent across his oeuvre: the articulation of his forms points to an interest in Samurai armour, H. R. Giger’s alien creatures and insect anatomy. The works in this series assume a supple dynamism, animated by an architectural complexity both organic and mechanical. With its declarative stance and sickle-shaped head, Ntaba zoLundi (meaning “mountain of abundance”) is striking for its skilfully sculpted profile and pronounced figuration. The work embodies a warrior-like energy – potent and resolute.

Dumalitshona marks a culminating point within Fani’s artistic trajectory. The series embodies the discipline required on the path toward mastery, revealing the hand of a maker who listens to his material as deeply as he commands it. Fani’s practice is one born not only of skill, but
of surrender; a divine yielding to a lifelong apprenticeship in rhythm, patience and fire.

Dumalitshona by Madoda Fani runs concurrently at Southern Guild Cape Town with iNgqweji, a solo exhibition of ceramic, copper and glass sculptures by Andile Dyalvane.