projects - Sharjah Art Foundation

In mandla’s work, identity-based struggles emerge from the artist’s attempts to reconcile different forms of exclusion, both within the artist’s family and adoptive environment.

As British as a Watermelon (2019)

mandla
As British as a Watermelon
2019
HD video installation 29 minutes
Courtesy of the artist

Overview

In mandla’s work, identity-based struggles emerge from the artist’s attempts to reconcile different forms of exclusion, both within the artist’s family and adoptive environment.
Activating autofictional elements of mandla’s personal history, the
artist’s practice reflects upon global histories and new diasporas. The video installation as british as a watermelon (2019), examines systemic racism experienced by the artist in the process of migrating
to the UK to seek asylum. In a visceral live performance, mandla strikes, cuts, hacks, rolls and gently caresses watermelons within a structure composed of fluorescent lights and watermelons.