A Recipe for Connection

Lehumo Lesiba Lekalakala (Polokwane)

A recipe for connection

Hyper realistic with colour pencils

81 cm x 110,5 cm

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

I still remember like it was yesterday — my grandmother and two sisters sharing jokes and news in our kitchen, cooking Sunday kos, as we Africans call it, with my grandmother’s favourite painting hanged in our kitchen wall: The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, while I locked myself in my room as a teenager drawing fancy cars.

The picture portrays one of the simplest but significant moments that shape our families. This is more than a meal being prepared by a heartwarming grandmother, teaching us through timeless cooking lessons with her old, worn-out hands, etched with lines of hard work from years of all chores, caring, and making sure each day lots of meals are prepared with love in every dish for her family.   

Sunday dinners within South African families are rich in culture and tradition. Even as the world outside their doors changes, South African families cling to the importance of gathering on Sundays — eating, sharing stories and their experiences, and at the same time, strengthening family bonds, unlike today’s world where the family is glued to their smart devices.

No matter the chaos that we undergo, when we step into the warmth of our kitchen, tasting the love that goes into every dish we prepare, love will always prevail. What a testament to the love and connection that define our family.

We will continue passing down this tradition — this legacy.