Turiya Magadlela

Working primarily with commonly found yet conceptually loaded fabrics, from pantyhose to correctional service uniforms, Turiya Magadlela (b.1978, Johannesburg, South Africa) creates abstract compositions by cutting, stitching, folding and stretching these materials across wooden frames. Her subject matter moves between articulations of personal experience of woman- and motherhood, and narratives from Black South African history. Magadlela studied at the Funda Community College (1998), the University of Johannesburg (1999 – 2001), and the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam (2003-2004). She has had seven solo exhibitions to date, including at the Johannesburg Art Gallery in 2015. Most recently, she presented Wabona lapho isifebe, wangena kuso at blank projects in 2017. She has participated in numerous group exhibitions, both locally and internationally, including Blue Black, curated by Glenn Ligon (Pulitzer Arts Foundation, 2017), Simple Passion, Complex Vision: The Darryl Atwell Collection (Gantt Centre, 2017), The Past is Present (Jack Shainman Gallery, 2017), Les jour qui vient, curated by Marie-Ann Yemsi (Galerie des Galeries, 2017), Blackness in Abstraction (Pace Gallery, 2016) and The Quiet Violence of Dreams(Stevenson, 2016). In 2015, she was awarded the prestigious FNB Art Prize. Magadlela lives and works in Johannesburg, South Africa.