Isambulo (Revelations) is a solo exhibition by multidisciplinary South African artist,
musician and sangoma Ndabuko Ntuli. Working across sculpture, assemblage and
traditional storytelling, Ntuli brings ancestral inheritance into conversation with
contemporary African life, exploring identity, spiritual calling, cultural memory and the
knowledge carried between generations. Through clay and reclaimed wood, each work
becomes a conversation between the visible and the invisible, the personal and the
collective, the ancestral and the present. "To me, Isambulo is an awakening, a revelation of
what has always existed within us but may have been forgotten, hidden or
misunderstood," says Ntuli. "It is an invitation to reconnect with our spiritual roots, our
ancestors and the knowledge they continue to carry.
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Themes
Central to the exhibition is the idea that time, reflection and experience have the power to transform what we understand. An experience that appears certain in the moment may reveal an entirely different meaning when revisited with distance and new knowledge. What was once ordinary can become significant, while what was once unclear can begin to reveal itself. Against a contemporary world shaped by economic uncertainty, technological advancement, artificial intelligence and rapidly changing ideas about the future, Isambulo asks audiences to pause and consider not only where society is going, but what knowledge risks being left behind.
Ntuli sees his artistic and spiritual practices as inseparable.
"Being a multidisciplinary artist allows me to express my calling through different mediums, materials, textures and forms. I do not see my spiritual calling and my artistic practice as separate. They are deeply intertwined. My calling provides the
spiritual foundation of my work, while art gives me a language through which I can explore, question and translate these experiences into something tangible."
"I hope visitors leave the exhibition having experienced more than the artworks themselves. I hope they begin to see themselves differently and recognise that our ancestors are not simply part of the past, but an enduring presence within our identities, guiding the present and shaping the future," says Ntuli -
THE WORKS
Through materials including clay and reclaimed wood, Ntuli approaches each artwork as a conversation between the visible and invisible, the personal and collective, and the ancestral and present. In transforming humble and discarded materials, he considers how objects, memories and traditions can carry meaning beyond their immediate moment.
Among the works presented in Isambulo (Revelations) are: Ubuwele I & II (Twin Life Series), mirrored faces reflecting spiritual continuity and the relationship between the living and their ancestors; Okhethiwe (The Chosen One), which considers being chosen and the responsibility that accompanies a spiritual calling; Ukuhloba (Adornment), a celebration of cultural pride told through the story of a young man named Julukani; Mkabayi kaJama, an armour-like tribute to one of the most influential women in Zulu history; Imbadada, which pays homage to the Zulu sandal traditionally made from recycled tyres, becoming a metaphor for ingenuity and endurance; Mangcongo and Mkhulu Masobeshe, intimate tributes to Ntuli's mother and grandfather; Amathongo Asekhaya, reflecting on the enduring presence of ancestors and the protection, guidance and sense of belonging they offer; and The Healing of the Calabash, which considers ancestral wisdom, healing and the preservation of indigenous knowledge.
Together, the works create a space in which personal memory, spirituality and collective cultural inheritance coexist, encouraging audiences to consider how the past continues to live within contemporary identities. -
From The Melrose Gallery
The Melrose Gallery describes Ntuli's practice as one shaped by the dualities of contemporary South Africa: beauty within hardship, power within simplicity and meaning within what might otherwise be overlooked. Through his transformation of reclaimed and everyday materials into works of fine art, Ntuli gives physical form to histories, beliefs and experiences that might otherwise remain unseen.
Ultimately, Isambulo (Revelations) is not simply concerned with looking back. It asks what it means to carry cultural and spiritual knowledge forward and how inherited knowledge might help us understand who we are becoming. -
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