EBONY/CURATED is delighted to announce the representation of Senzeni Marasela.
Marasela’s multidisciplinary practice spans photography, printmaking, performance, and mixed-media installation, frequently incorporating textiles and embroidery. Her work explores the lived experiences of Black South African women, drawing on both historical and personal narratives. Fabric and clothing recur as central forms of expression, with the colour red emerging as a defining motif – symbolically connected to the “red dust” period in South African history, marked by drought, displacement, and social upheaval.
Marasela is especially recognised for her long-duration performances, most notably Ijermani Lam (2013–2019), a six-year work in which she wore the same red dress every day to embody the condition of waiting. Marasela often channels personal and collective histories through figures such as her fictional alter ego, Theodorah Mthetyane, whose story reflects the experiences of countless women waiting for absent husbands.
A graduate of the University of the Witwatersrand (1998), Marasela undertook a residency at the South African National Gallery, where she was included in its Fresh exhibition series. Her work has since been widely exhibited across South Africa, Europe, and the United States, and is represented in major collections including the Museum of Modern Art (New York), the Smithsonian (Washington), the Newark Museum (New Jersey), and the Iziko South African National Gallery (Cape Town). In 2015, she participated in the Johannesburg Pavilion at the 56th Venice Biennale, and in 2022 she was named the inaugural recipient of the K21 Global Art Award by Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Cologne.
We are honoured to welcome Senzeni Marasela to our gallery’s roster of outstanding artistic voices.
