ZHI ZULU

The Curious Five

The city is a disorienting space for anyone – humans and animals alike.

Johannesburg is one such city and has been known by many names – Joburg, Jozi, the city of gold – but most suitably in this scenario as the concrete jungle. A mix and match of natural and urban, old and new, home-grown and cosmopolitan.

Hot off the press!

Zhi Zulu

Jozi-pocalypse

2023

12 colour silkscreen on rooibos tea stained Zerkall Litho 270gsm

54 x 76 cm

Edition of 15

Jozi-pocalypse is the newest edition by Zhi Zulu made in collaboration with the David Krut Workshop.

 

In a world beyond the concrete jungle of Johannesburg and mysteriously void of people, The Curious Five roam across a dystopian landscape, navigating remnants of the past. Inspired by the artist’s experience of African stories told for tourists and foreigners, the preceding series The Curious Five is a humorous take on stereotypical, usually inaccurate and fantastical tales that foreigners sometimes believe – of wild animals walking the streets of Johannesburg, or people keeping them as pets.

 

Expanding on the collaboration, Zhi and DKW collaborator Roxy Kaczmarek worked closely with expert silkscreen printer Cloudia Rivett-Carnac to produce the largest and most complex of Zhi’s editions to date. Jozi-pocalypse consists of twelve silkscreen layers printed on tea-stained paper, meticulously tested by Rivett-Carnac, which creates the antiquated look of a found artefact. Zhi has a skilful knowledge of how to balance seemingly mismatched colours, which was especially considered in the silkscreen process – resulting in some surprising results, beyond the artist’s control. This is common of the printmaking practice and was a unique experience for the digital artist.

 

Zhi states: Jozi-pocalypse interrogates the symbols of representation in South Africa and explores the ideas of known symbols and infrastructure in Johannesburg. Some of the architecture such as the Joburg City Hall, the Soweto towers, the Drakensberg mountains, the South African flag and common street signs are explored. The artwork showcases the confusion we have as a nation about how to represent ourselves in this democratic era, bringing about questions around whether the way we have dressed up colonial structures with the new flag and pictures of Mandela is enough to portray a remedy to the political structures of the past. It questions whether the change of street names and structure names can in fact wipe away the uglier parts of our history rooted in Apartheid. In short, it is representative of our confusion around representation as a cosmopolitan and cultural land.”

 

Jozi-pocalypse is the sixth Silkscreen collaboration with the David Krut Workshop with collaborators Roxy Kaczmarek, Jesse Shepstone and Cloudia Rivett-Carnac from Chocolate Ink Studio.

The Curious Five

Zhi Zulu

There’s a Kudu on my stoep

2022

9 colour silkscreen

37,7 x 54 cm

Edition of 25

This Kudu is looking somewhat forlorn, adrift in the streets of Johannesburg with nowhere to go. Amidst the hustle and bustle, new developments have appeared all over the place, making some feel a little unwelcome in their own skin. Gentrification is the word, with hip new joints attracting a crowd that hasn’t been seen this side of town for quite some time. While the Kudu might feel pushed out, where can he go?

Zhi Zulu

Ostrich-sized

2021 

9 colour silkscreen

36,8 x 27,5 cm

Edition of 25

The Ostrich aims to identify with anyone migrating to or from SA. Young Oscar finds himself in the midst of the busy Joburg madness, at the peak hour for traffic. He has all his belongings packed in his tricolour bag (a well-known symbol of migration). As to whether he’s just gotten off a plane from Zimbabwe or if is on his way to catch a flight to Australia… we don’t know‍. This guy is just trying to find his way home and start again. After covid struck, there was a change of plan and that’s better than keeping your head in the sand. No stranger to civil wars, xenophobia, political corruption or unemployment, Oscar is caught up in the turmoil he’s a running, flightless bird, a nomad, unsure of where to settle.  

Zhi Zulu

C’mon chameleon

2021 

7 colour silkscreen

36,8 x 27,5 cm

Edition of 25

Chameleons are known to be masters of disguise but this fellow has decided it’s time to make his presence known. Inspired by his King Kong predecessor, Chameleon asserts his feelings about SA airways and the current Covid travel bans. 

Inspired by the artist’s experience of African stories being told for tourists and foreigners, The Curious Five is a humorous take on stereotypical, inaccurate and fantastical tales that foreigners sometimes believe of wild animals walking in the streets of Johannesburg, or people keeping them as pets.

Zhi Zulu

Bridge over troubled giraffe

2020

8 colour silkscreen

36 x 27,5 cm

Edition of 25 

This giraffe has landed itself tangled in the hustle and bustle of the city. She captures a feeling that many of us experience when faced with the streets of inner city Johannesburg a sort of surrendering to the unpredicatable busy-ness of one’s surroundings.

Zhi Zulu

Zebra Crossing

2019

6 colour silkscreen

27 x 36 cm

Edition of 25 

Zhi Zulu was born in Durban in 1995 and raised in Johannesburg. Having completed her Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Visual Communication at The Open Window Institute, she is now doing her Masters in the same field. She is the founder and owner of Zuluvisual, a freelance illustration studio. She won a Gold Craft Loerie Award in 2018. 

 

Zulu loves to tell stories through illustration: “I make work that eludes to the investigation of my culture. I am a proud Zulu and I enjoy making contemporary visual representations of what I understand is relevant to current society. I have a clear vision of what impact I want to make through my art. Aside from enticing others to discover the rich uniqueness of their own culture, my goal is to influence the education sector by integrating my culture-inspired illustrations with the visual methods of teaching literacy South Africa.” 

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