Mlu Zondi
Born in 1975 in Clermont, a Durban township, Mlungisi Zondi was raised by his maternal aunt after the death of his parents, and grew up the only child among adults. He has since said that this loneliness instilled in him an essential precept for his current work: “I have to be inside myself and be comfortable there” [1]. In the 1980s, as an enthusiastic Michael Jackson fan, he imitated the artist for his friends, causing a sensation and discovering his dance abilities. Through the pantsula shows in which he played an active part in the 1990s, he discovered an effective way of expressing himself and decided to study further. He had to spend three years working at a service station before being accepted at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) in 1998 to study theatre, performance and dance. The tenacity and endurance he showed during those years would also be seen in his later work: “This tenacity and endurance is still evident in his work, in a context where the level of experimentation and risk in performance culture is rare”. During his studies and through his contact with Jay Pather, director of the Siwela Sonke Dance Theatre and professor at the DUT, Mlu Zondi focussed on performance.
Graduating four years later, he tried out “commercial and corporate theatre”, an activity consisting of producing shows for private sponsors as part of “a new business culture, the concept and qualities of a new product or (…) even socio-educational themes like the prevention of the AIDS, hygiene…” [2]. Determined to work independently, he invented performative, experimental, often hybrid formats, which dealt with defining identity, supported by the organisation Sololique Projects, which he founded while still a student. The way in which he presents his artistic research reveals the deeply intimate and personal dimension he gives it: “My work is a direct result of the frustrations in trying to find creative ways through which to express myself” [3]. It also provides ample opportunities to face his own demons: “My works are my own confrontation with issues that haunt me: identity, relationships and childhood memories. Suppressed emotions emerge during creations and performances that become therapeutic” [4].
His talent, combined with his determination and sense of opportunity, quickly propelled him onto the international stage. Beginning in 2001 with a residency in Durban at the Floating Outfit Project run by Boyzie Cekwana, the following year he was given a six week residency at the Théâtre Sévelin 36 (Lausanne) organised by Pro Helvetia, after which he presented a solo entitled “Sololique : Rafiki” at the Festival international de danse de Lausanne (Lausanne International Dance Festival). He was then awarded a residency at the FNB Dance Umbrella Johannesburg (2003), the Seoul Performing Arts Company in South Korea (2007), the Bains: Connective Art Laboratory and at the KVS Theater in Brussels, the Rodriguez-Amat Foundation of Contemporary Arts in Barcelona (2008), as well as Kunst: Raum, the German branch of Jozi Art: Lab on the island of Sylt in the North Sea (2009).
In 2004, his performance “Identikit” was presented as part of the Young Artists Project exhibition by the Kwazuku Natal Society of Arts (KZNSA) Gallery. Heralded as a metaphor of the black condition in a world dominated by whites, this performance in two parts also speaks about the difficulty of being different. The first part is held inside the KZNSA Gallery and stages Mlu Zondi on the giant chess-board of a traditional South African game, the mlabalaba; in the second part, Mlu Zondi parades through the city until he reaches the water at Durban’s North Beach, wearing a costume made of coloured bin bags and giant sunglasses. Zondi’s work, like this piece, seeks to challenge taboos and to take the art of performance out of its usual performance contexts.
In 2006, his piece “Silhouette”, created in collaboration with Ntando Cele, was the recipient of a prestigious MTN New Contemporaries Award. It remains a different experience to the rest of his work because it is the unique staging performance. More at ease in the visual arts (museum, galleries…), he prefers spectators to enjoy their freedom of movement when watching his performances: “I like people to come in and watch as long as they like. Maybe they walk away after five minutes, maybe they stay for an hour”. These performance formats call upon the exceptional capacity of concentration which he cultivates: “When on stage, Mlu Zondi is very focused. No distraction, just concentration, continuous movement, sometimes repetitive. Furthermore, I don’t get tired as long as there is music (…)” After performing one of his pieces that also deal with issues of race and politics as well as identity, Mlu Zondi feels concentrated, open minded, clean. “Performing is my own way of spiritual meditation” [5].
His video works have been shown as part of the Guth Garfa Documentary Festival in Ireland (“Mirage”) and at the KZNSA Gallery in Durban (“Despotica”) in 2009. Recipient of many prizes and honours (Jomba! in 2003, KZNSA in 2004, National Arts Council of South Africa, NAF Main Festival Grant, Jomba, FNB Dance Umbrella and MTN New Contemporaries Award in 2006, National Art Council of South Africa and Pro Helvetia SA in 2007, Africalia in 2008), he is the winner of the Standard Bank Young Artist Award for dance in 2009, thanks to which he was able to show “Cinema” at the National Arts Festival of Grahamstown in 2010, an ambitious multimedia experimental creation for four dancers and video projections.
An exceptional performer in critics’ eyes, Zondi has also proved his worth in the field of artistic and cultural administration: from 2005 to 2006 he successfully took on the role of regional coordinator for the live arts network for the KwaZulu-Natal region (PANSA KZN) and worked as a consultant for the arts consultancy Cultural Radius.
[1] Mlu Zondi, http://www.jozi-artlab.co.za/en/klip_town_art_project/south_african_artists-sylt_mlu_zondi.php, 2009.
[2] O. Hespel, “Robyn Orlin, fantaisiste rebelle”, 2009, p. 26.
[3] M. Zondi quoted in the KZNA Gallery programme for « Despotica », 21 april-10 may 2009, http://www.kznsagallery.co.za/exhibitions/despotica.htm.
[4] http://www.artlink.co.za/news_article.htm?contentID=23366, 11 May 2009.
[5] Jozi art:lab Website, 2009 : http://www.jozi-artlab.co.za/en/klip_town_art_project/south_african_artists-sylt_mlu_zondi.php
Bibliography
Nondzube, Nomfundo. “Mlu Zondi takes audence by surprise”, http://www.grocotts.co.za, 2 juillet 2010
Buys, Anthea. “Filmic feet”, Mail and Guardian, 25 juin 2010
“Award winner for dance straddles spaces”, http://www.artlink.co.za, 11 mai 2009
Williamson, Sue. “South African Art Now”, Harper Design, octobre 2009, p. 142.
KwaZulu-Natal’s cultural activity website
Updated: February 2014
