BOEMO DIALE

Emerging from South Africa’s dynamic contemporary art scene is Boemo Diale whose self-taught practice speaks to being a young mixed-race woman and the generational trauma woven into the narratives of her family. Her playful figurative works resonate with themes of self-discovery, spirituality and the sociopolitical context of the country. Primarily working with spray paint, German Letraset, ink and acrylic paint on paper and canvas, she realises the naked figures which feature in many of her works in oil pastel or crayon to bring about a childlike playfulness. These surreal scenes are simultaneously spirited and expressive, coming to life in a way she affectionately calls “a labour of love.”

Only 23, Diale’s already enjoyed a cubicle show, Carriers of Hope at Everard Read Cape Town, been featured in Shelflife’s Air Max 1 ’86 collaboraion and had her first solo, No Matter How Far I Run at Kalashnikovv Gallery in Johannesburg. Her creative journey stems from the movements of her formative years - both the geographical shifts between Rustenburg in the North West province and Joburg, and the emotional voyage through race and identity. “I spent a lot of time alone so I just felt called to express myself in some way,” Diale reflects. As a child, her light complexion led to confusing comments like “O tlhapa ka lebese” (she bathes with milk) from other children. But today, she firmly embraces her blackness. “I’m black and I was raised by a black woman and I've had a black upbringing and I've been raised in a woman-dominant home. I don’t have any aversion to that.”

Diale draws inspiration from her mother and grandmother’s stories of resilience, along with other formidable women and figures. Conjuring up hallucinations, delusions and dreamlike states, her works take on transcendent dimensions. “My mom is schizophrenic and bipolar so I think that’s some of the nods to mental health and spirituality,” Diale explains. “It’s fascinating to see how the women in my family processed their trauma. My grandmother was a domestic worker. She was so insanely strong, passionate, God-fearing and devoted but she beautified her pain a lot.”

Colour also plays a pivotal role, transforming heavy narratives into bright and wondrous expressions. “A lot of the conversations that I’m having in my work now are inner child related so in that way, it’s a sort of therapy,” she says. Her pieces also serve as mirrors for viewers to reflect on their own stories, encouraging diverse interpretations that can provide insights the artist herself then considers. At the heart of the work though, lies the complex interplay of identity which the artist finds crucial for her daily meaning-making. This quest is intertwined with the development of her style and language that continues to push boundaries.

Currently, the artist’s focus is on the theme of prayer, a concept that extends beyond religious confines to evoke hope, aspiration and healing. This exploration speaks to her mother’s role as a spiritual healer. For example, the piece ‘What’s the magic word?’ is a reinterpretation of a love spell and considering love and abandonment, with a focus on vessels as conduits for manifesting in traditional and ritualistic practices. And at the recently concluded FNB Art Joburg, where she showed with Kalashnikovv, Diale continued to evolve by creating two further vessels that embodied the power of transformation, changing realities and magic used by women. These pieces incorporate canvas-on-canvas borders of absurd and abstract imagery as forms of invocation within borders themselves while still addressing dreams and intensified desires.

The fair writ large that Boemo’s artistic trajectory is brimming with promise and potential that can only continue to blossom. As she aptly concludes, ““I’m so happy I’m such a young artist, I don’t know what I’m going to make in the next five years because I don’t even know what I’m going to make next year… I just keep trying to make what I like.”