Debuting sculptural works by Sthenjwa Luthuli & introducing Sho Shibuya. Plus explore art & motherhood with Hettie Judah on our Voices online exhibition platform.
Presenting sculptural works alongside his wood-carved paintings for the first time, Luthuli’s second solo exhibition with Unit London explores the customs of ancient traditions and his African ancestors prior to the arrival of colonising forces.
The exhibition takes its name from Inzalo Ye Langa, or Birthplace of the Sun, the African name for a series of stones believed to be the oldest manmade structure in the world. Situated in the sacred site of Mpumalanga in South Africa, the stones are a unique example of a monolithic solar calendar.
Shibuya’s first exhibition with the gallery examines our perceptions of time through the use of painting as a daily ritual. Using the front cover of The New York Times as his canvas, he paints each day's sunrise – a universal motif that grounds the daily news cycle in the rhythms of nature.
230207, 2023 Acrylic on newspaper 67 x 42 cm (framed)
The second of two exhibitions about making art and making children, Re-Naissance highlights the work of artists with varied experiences of (m)otherhood, including those whose caregiving responsibilities made it difficult to make or show work.
Participating artists: Annie Hsiao-Ching Wang, Asia Werbel, Elsa James, Emma Franks, Helen Sargeant, Hermione Wiltshire & Clare Bottomley, Ingrid Berthon-Moine, Jessa Fairbrother, Kinke Kooi, Leni Dothan, Permindar Kaur and Whitney McVeigh
1: Sthenjwa Luthuli, Inzalo Yelanga, 2023. Hand-carved super wood block, with mixed media, 184 x 136 x 4 cm. 2. Sthenjwa Luthuli, AbaseKhemu, 2023. Hand-carved super wood block, with mixed media, 136 x 92 x 4 cm. 3: Sthenjwa Luthuli, Umphafa,2023. Hand-carved super wood block, with mixed media, paint, sawdust and beads, 136 x 92 x 4 cm. 4: Sho Shibuya in the Studio, 2023. 5: Sho Shibuya, 230207, 2023. Acrylic on newspaper, 67 x 42 cm (framed). 6: Sho Shibuya, 230519, 2023. Acrylic on newspaper, 67 x 42 cm (framed). GIF 6: Jessa Fairbrother, Role Play (woman with cushion), 2017. Individual C-type prints on metallic paper sewn together, painted and hand-embellished, on a wooden baton, 120 cm x 120 cm. 7: Asia Werbel, Mama and Child, 2020. C-type print, 30.5 cm x 20 cm. 8: Whitney McVeigh, Mother and Child, 2019. Ink on xuan paper, 26.5 cm x 24 cm.All images courtesy of the artists and Unit London.