THE RAIN PRAYERS
On February 9th, 2019, a new version of The Rain Prayers, an installation by South African artist Simphiwe Nzube in the Kaluz Museum’s main courtyard, was presented to collectors, curators and special guests of ZONA MACO’s VIP guest list.
With this large format installation created in 2016, Nzube conjures softened figures in a procession with logs, wigs, gloves, umbrellas, and ties. The piece invokes the carnivalesque spirit of Cape Town, at the same time inciting a reflection on South Africa’s drought, an ongoing event that has revealed the faith, rituality and commitment within the community of Cape Town.
Simphiwe Nzube (1990) lives and works in Los Angeles, California, and Cape Town, South Africa. He graduated in 2015 from Michaelis School of Fine Arts with a Bachelor in Fine Arts (BFA). Nzube plays with objects, mediums and surfaces in his work in two dimensions, creating a subjective narrative of the black experience in post-apartheid South Africa. His most recent exhibitions include: New Acquisitions by the Rubell Family Collection, Miami (2018); Hacer Noche, Oaxaca, (2018); NOISE!, The Frans Hals Museum, Amsterdam (2018); Waiting for Mulugu, The CC Foundation Shanghai(2018); WHATIFTHEWORLD, Cape Town (2016). He has been granted the Michaelis Prize (2015), the Cecil Skotnes scholarship (2013) and the Tollman Prize (2016), and is also part of Forbes Africa’s list of Under 30 Creatives.