Izwi Lakhe

Sold as a collection.

Izwi Lakhe (His Voice) is a deeply personal work that reflects on how, as a Zulu woman, I have been taught to listen to tradition, and to the cultural expectations that shape womanhood. From a been taught to listen to tradition, and to the cultural expectations that shape womanhood. From a been taught to listen to tradition, and to the cultural expectations that shape womanhood. From a obedience, in her ability to receive instruction without resistance. In this piece, I use sheep hide and wax-moulded ears to explore those ideas. The ears are made in wax, fragile and impressionable, yet bound together with sheep hide, a material that speaks to both vulnerability and endurance. Sheep are often seen as symbols of submission, and in many ways, women are expected to embody these same traits. By joining the ears with sheep hide, I’m drawing attention to how the qualities we associate with sheep: gentleness, compliance, sacrifice are the same qualities often demanded of women. This work connected me more to my faith, reminding me that I am sheep in constant need of a shepherd. Figure 1 Snelihle Maphumulo, Izwi Lakhe (His voice) (2024), sheep hide and sculpting wax Working with these materials allows me to think through the complex relationships we have not only with animals, but also with the cultural roles we inherit. Izwi Lakhe is about listening, but it is also about questioning. Whose voice am I listening to? What does it mean to be shaped by that voice? And where is my own voice within it all?