BONNIE NTSHALINTSHALI (1967 – 1999)
Untitled
1999
overglaze enamel plate
size variable
BIOGRAPHY
Bonnie Ntshalintshali was a South African ceramicist and sculptor. She was born on Ardmore Farm in the Winterton district of KwaZulu-Natal. She suffered from polio as a girl and, because she was not strong enough to do heavy physical farm work, her mother asked Fée Halsted if she would teach her ceramics.
In 1985, she was apprenticed to Halstead as a studio assistant. While learning basic ceramic techniques, Ntshalintshali’s ability in both sculpture and painting was quickly recognised, and she was encouraged to pursue her own work.
In 1988, Ntshalintshali received the Corobrik National Ceramic Award; and in 1990, she won the Standard Bank Young Artist Award jointly with Halsted. The catalogue for this exhibition, written by South African artist Andrew Verster, described Ntshalintshali’s ceramics as follows: ‘The characters in Bonnie’s work, the animals, the birds and the people are all individuals. One is attracted to them precisely because they are such powerful personalities.’
That same year, 1990, she spent a term at the University of Natal (now the University of KwaZulu Natal), Pietermaritzburg, studying under Juliet Armstrong and Ian Calder.
In 1991, Standard Bank commissioned a series of original prints from its award-winning artists. Using her own sculpture as inspiration, Ntshalintshali produced a series of original silkscreens which were shown that year at the print festival in Grahamstown (now Makhanda).
Ntshalintshali constructed her complex pieces by coiling or building from solid forms. Fired to 1200 degrees, the work was then richly and meticulously decorated. Many of her sculptures drew inspiration from her mission-school education. Biblical tales were retold with simplicity and candour. A hallmark of her work was her narrative piling of elements or vertical storytelling.
Her work is represented in major collections throughout South Africa, Great Britain and America.
In 1992, she exhibited at the Seville Expo in Spain. In 1993, her work was displayed at the Venice Biennale and in Rome and Amsterdam. In 1995, she exhibited at the Johannesburg Biennale. Her work is also in private collections all over the world.
Ntshalintshali died of HIV-related illness in 1999. As Ardmore Cerarmics’ first artist, her legacy has inspired the many other artists who have followed her at Ardmore.