Sven Christian [SC]: How would you define relief in sculpture? 

Collen Maswanganyi [CM]: My background in relief began when thinking about working on something between two- and three-dimensions. I began working on these flat panels but it’s since developed. You can make relief using a big log, or attach something on those panels, to become sculptures that can hang on the wall. This is another interpretation for me of what relief is about. 

SC: When we first spoke in 2022, for Afropolitanism, you mentioned the origins of relief in your practice and your work with Creative Block. I’m wondering how you approach relief as a form of storytelling? When I think about relief, for example, there’s often a frame in which a scene is depicted, whereas, in most of your relief the figure is often cropped. 

CM: I used to make these relief carvings back in 2001 — I would find a panel of Pine and carve a scene on it. After 2003 I began to focus more on free-standing sculptures. Then, in 2019, I was introduced to the Creative Block programme, which is run by Spier. They give you Supawood to make art on. I wanted to paint or something but something said, ‘Why not carve?’ I tried and it was great, so that’s how it was revived, to say, ‘Ok, there’s this direction one can take and follow.’ I developed it bit by bit. When you hand your work in to Creative Block you get critical feedback from a curator. That’s when I started introducing these elements — adding a hand, or bringing in a bee or a chain; attaching it to these relief carvings so they become something else. It’s also why, as you say, you can see this part, but the other part is cropped — you just have to imagine.

SC: The one pre-existing work of yours on exhibition depicts a figure hanging onto a literal frame, joint, presumably with screws. The action, although set-up in response to the frame, happens outside of it. Could you talk about this?

CM: As an artist, we might find something that we put away for a bit, we see it again, and then we keep on asking ourselves, ‘What can I do with this? Can I use it, and if I do, what will I make with it?’ So, I was given that frame by a curator, Natalie Knight, who has helped me a lot in my career. She called to say, ‘Collen, I have got these frames. Can you use them?’ As a sculptor I don’t like the way paintings and prints are sometimes framed. I didn’t have anything to do with that frame, at that point, but when I sat with it I kept thinking about visionaries, someone who will point out the things that are not right for people. For example, they will say, ‘Corruption is bad.’ Those who are corrupt will view that visionary as a threat, and will try to frame them. But mostly you find pictures of visionaries — someone like Nelson Mandela or Desmond Tutu — framed and their picture hung on the wall. We frame them because we love them, but sometimes we create a story to tarnish the image of those people, so that’s what I was playing with. That figure began as a free-standing sculpture. Now you cannot see the other side, but if you pull it from the wall you can look on the other side. That also goes back to how we create reliefs and how paintings are seen.

SC: It’s interesting to think about how relief might inform your sculpture in the round. I’m thinking now about the collaborative work that you, Ben Tuge, Richard Chauke, and Amorous Maswanganyi made as part of the first Carving X, Mabyongo / Pfungwa (2022), which had faces on all sides. That was essentially relief. Like much of the work on show, it also has this totemic quality. But maybe now is a good time to talk about the emojis? 

CM: Yes. I don’t know what inspired me to focus on emojis. They always talk to me and they always help me… I often look at them and check their meanings. My work usually incorporates both the traditional world that I come from and the modern world — things that are happening,  technology, social media… Today, you can say a lot with one or two emojis. You may show your disappointment or joy. The ones that I’m busy making are about relief. Those emojis talk about one who is relieved, who is actually happy, or they were tired and now they are resting; maybe they were worried about something and have now found a solution… That kind of thing. I also including extended elements, like I carved hands in Corkwood which show the actions of someone who is relieved. Some are wiping off the sweat, or showing shap, to say that now everything is in order — life can go on. That is my approach to relief on this exhibition.

SC: That’s interesting! Dada and I also spoke about hands the other day. It’s great to see that link developing here too, but the last thing I wanted to ask is about Carving X. This workshop is now in its second iteration, and as your brainchild, what is the importance, for you, in bringing people together to do this kind of work? 

CM: It’s a great honour and I’m happy that almost all the artists for Carving X Two are established artists who have been in the industry for a long time. I think this is good for Carving X, because we have an opportunity to meet and share expertise and then this I believe will translate back into what I’m hoping Carving X becomes — a way to help up-and-coming artists from the remote areas who do not have opportunities to showcase or get exposure for their artworks.