Take Care of Me

Object Details

Nompumelelo Ngoma, born 1984, South Africa

Series

E/V 1/1

Label Text

Even after the fall of apartheid, the exposure of artists of color remains limited. It is a challenge to identify works of art by artists within and outside the country who are not exhibited in important international exhibitions or represented by South Africa’s major galleries. Washington D.C. benefited from the 2014 exhibition South African Voices: A New Generation of Printmakers, which was held at the Washington Printmakers Gallery. The large selection of artworks on view and held by the gallery introduced NMAfA curators to a younger generation of black South African artists who have yet to receive widespread coverage. Their works are promoted by Vula Amehlo Art Development, a Johannesburg-based organization founded in 2011 by Anne Gordon that supports the work of young, emerging South African artists through exhibitions, workshops, and career-management training. “Vula Amehlo” means “open your eyes” in Zulu and related languages.

Description

This etching monoprint, purple in color and with a luminous sense of light, depicts through line and texture a woman’s party dress.

Exhibition History

I Am: Contemporary African Women Artists, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., June 20, 2019 - April 3, 2022

South African Voices, Washington Printmakers Gallery, Silver Spring, MD, January 2-24, 2014

Published References

Gordon, Anne. 2013. South African Voices: A New Generation of Printmakers. Silver Spring, Maryland: Washington Printmakers Gallery and Johannesburg: Vula Amehlo Art Development. p. 23.

Content Statement

As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.

Image Requests

High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/

Credit Line

Museum purchase

2013

Object number

2014-23-6

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

Copyright

© 2013 Nompumelelo Ngoma

Type

Print

Medium

Marley tile etching monoprint

Dimensions

H x W: 83.8 × 56 cm (33 × 22 1/16 in.)

Geography

South Africa

See more items in

National Museum of African Art Collection

National Museum of African Art

Record ID

nmafa_2014-23-6

Metadata Usage (text)

Not determined

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys7225c98ab-b851-4885-9518-604367eceda2