Simnikiwe Buhlungu

Recorded in this ubiquitous time of confusion and uncertainty, My Dear Kite (You Can But You Can't) - Late Yawnings 01h43 is an attempt to navigate the dilemma of a displaced [in/out]door activity of play, while simultaneously attempting to make sense of the socio-cultural consequences that will arise from the pandemic, as well as my own bodily and geographic (dis)placement from Johannesburg, South Africa, having recently moved to The Netherlands. Woven into these attempts are questions on what it means to be a creative practitioner, to be productive and the (in)ability to respond artistically.

Bio

Simnikiwe Buhlungu (Johannesburg, South Africa, 1995). Buhlungu's interest in navigating personal and socio-historical narratives presents itself as a complex web of [re] imagined engagements which are surrounding, but not exclusive to, experiences embedded within the complexity of knowledge production(s) - which are (un)written, (un)spoken, (un)heard and made (in)visible. Through this, her practice begins to develop into moments that pose questions and attempt to provide answers to these ideas. The work has existed in a variety of forms — text, print, video, sonic negotiations and installation in a number of exhibitions, happenings and spaces. She also engages with printed material and publications, their production and dissemination — in conversation with her practice.

Departing from knowledge production as a site of incongruencies, she is interested in how these moments call for the urgency to self-historicise and ultimately, self-determine. This is further manifested in the use of visual materials and language to activate research as a creative practice and complicates the way in which these methodologies can be used to initiate a visual discourse of noting to self.

Lately, she enjoys listening to gospel music and has been thinking about apiaries.