“COLOURED POTS”
IZINKAMBA AMAKALADI
by Fileve Tlaloc
August 19^th – September 24^th

Coloured Pots (Izinkamba kwamaKhaladi) is an example of pottery inspired by izinkamba style of the amaZulu ethnic group, which in part, makes up my maternal line.  By transposing family photgraphs and snippets of scholarly work based on race onto these pots, the work explores the history, culture, and identity of creole people in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa who are known as “Coloureds.”  This work connects the past and the present by exploring family photos of individuals and communities that played a role in the creation of the creole ethnic group.  Through the combination of clay, photography, and scholarly research I unpack notions of race, purity, science, and law in relation to creole individuals and communities who are combinations of indigenous Africans, settler Europeans, and immigrant Asians.  Coloured Pots Izinkamba amaKaladi contributes to artistic and cultural diversity by showing the exchanges and intimate relationships across cultural and geographical borders.  Although the focal point builds upon my personal heritage living abroad, and my intentional, personal maintenance of my familial relationships in South Africa, the subject matter and my local experience, opens a forum for discussion of similar instances of creolization in America as well as engaging timely issues of privacy, policy, and agency.