Meet ceramic artist and pioneer of African luxury Zizipho Poswa

GLAMOUR: Your work is beautiful; can you please tell us more about your story and how you got to the place where you are now?

Zizipho: I was very creative from a young age, I enjoyed drawing, creating paper sculptures and making clothes for my dolls. Like most children in the village, I played with clay at the river banks but never knew it would be a career. As a child, I had a strong affinity with the land, with nature and with my culture. I was fortunate to have a mother who took my creativity seriously and nurtured it rather than discouraged it. I knew very early on that art was a passion I wanted to pursue because there is an artist in me. It was after finishing my matric that I decided to pursue art as a career path. I enrolled to study art at NMMU, and given that this was my first interface with formal art education, I had to do a yearlong introductory course. The experience was exhilarating and I felt I was doing something that accords with my spirit.

GLAMOUR: What led you into working with ceramics?

Zizipho: After my studies, I worked in the Textile Design field in Cape Town for a year and I quickly discovered my passion for business. I reconnected with Andile Dyalvane with whom I studied Art and along with three other friends we started Imiso Ceramics.

The original idea was to be a Textile and Ceramic studio, but we decided to specialize in ceramics only as it didn’t require much equipment and space to set up. I created a collection of decorative pieces which allowed me to translate my patterns on clay as my canvas.

At the beginning of my journey, I used to be more involved in the business side of our business and produce smaller collections which then changed with time as the business grew and we hired a hands-on gallery manager. That being in place it gave me an opportunity to focus more on my collectable works and Southern Guild invited me to be part of their artists stable. That paved way for me as I got to participate in local and international art fairs including my recent solo show.

GLAMOUR: How would you define the style of your work and how did it develop?

Zizipho: My work, as it is, is a tribute to women, it honours their strength and beauty. My style is contemporary African. I started by making small hand-pinched bowls and I explored throwing then coiling. My current pieces are coiled because they are quite large and some are a combination of the three techniques.

GLAMOUR: Which materials fascinate you the most except for clay? Are there any that you have not worked with but would like to try out?

Zizipho: I absolutely love bronze for its flexibility and versatility as a metal, it has a beautiful aesthetic. I worked with the material on my recent work Ilobola and combined it with clay. The final product was phenomenal. I would like to explore glass and wood combined with clay. I'm starting with glass on a small scale, I'm currently working on an exciting Inverroche inspired product for Pioneers of the present campaign. I'm enjoying the process and I can't wait to share the final product.

GLAMOUR: The colours of your pieces are one of a kind—how did you develop your own colour palette and how does it change with time?

Zizipho: I’m inspired by nature and its ability to produce splendour through colour. I come from a textile design background and I worked with a lot of colour and pattern. Each piece or series carries a special colour palette and those colours somehow inform my next body of work.

GLAMOUR: What fascinated you about ceramic as a medium?

Zizipho: I love its tactility, its ease of manipulation and its therapeutic nature. I enjoy the production processes; it requires passion and patience. I love how I use the medium to celebrate my culture.

GLAMOUR: Can you tell us a little about what it means to you to be part of the Inverroche Pioneers of the present campaign, and what does being a pioneer mean to you?

Zizipho: It's a great honour to be part of this campaign particularly because of the nature of the brand that Inverroche is. It means my artistic journey is yielding results that are noticeable to others. It's really a proud moment. Being a pioneer to me means being a groundbreaker and a risk-taker. You have to be courageous with vision and wisdom.

GLAMOUR: Do you have a dream project that you would love to realize someday?

Zizipho: Definitely introducing art in my community where I grew up in Umtata by creating a creative art studio for upcoming artists. I always imagine how amazing it would have been to have access to such facilities when I was younger. It's very important to create opportunities for disadvantaged youth and empower our young creatives to grow our economy through art.

Artists