To un-inside what is uniquely yours: A deep dive into Lukhanyo Mdingi’s exhibition, The provenance, part 1
Photo by Hayden Phipps; The Fourth Gallery.
Lukhanyo Mdingi’s most recent creative endeavour, The Provenance, part 1 was an exhibition at The Fourth co-curated by Morne Viasgie and The Fourth, based on their AW22 collection: Burkina.
This exhibition served as a vulnerable look into the cosmology of the Burkina collection and the brand at large through the use of the various mediums all tying back to the interdependent nature of his design practice. Narrowing in on his appreciation for honesty, integrity, collaboration, human experience and craft.
Mdingi breathes new life into the expectations of what an exhibition ought to be, reconstructing and utilising it as a site for reflection and radical honesty. We are given a raw and personal look into the initial seeds that lead to the painstaking intentionality that is Mdingi’s work. From inspiration moodboards, photographs, production demos, reminders to send out emails and gift cards, production costs and payouts and even his personal strengths and weaknesses. Un-insiding the tender threads that we would often prefer hemmed. The provenance is split into 5 sections, each in dialogue with one another, namely Film, The hands, Research, Journals, and Polaroids.
“Clothing is a medium, and the brand itself is a vehicle; and for Lukhanyo Mdingi, understanding the depth of this truth has allowed the label to manifest as a collective, intrinsically community-informed vessel in which to contain its essence.”
The Burkina film, shot and edited by a body of creatives, follows the women of Burkina Faso who work alongside Mdingi, the Ethical Fashion Institute and CABES textile community of Ouagadougou. Every woman a part of the project has their own function from dying, winding, warping, weaving. And rather than just being treated as labour, they are seen as collaborators. Their individual expertise, intuition and instinct is present within the LM universe through their idiosyncratic choices in weaving and dying patterns. The film, with its washed clay reverence, celebrates the beauty and flow that can be found when working in community and emphasises the indispensable grace in which we can be afforded by the environments in which we work, if we nurture it.
The hands materially made up of textile art and explorations that lead to the Bukina collection and more literally a further celebration and nod to the hands that inform the LM project and universe. The hands, locally and internationally, who devoted their time and expertise to capture the essence of the brand and its ethos. From the hands of photographers, videographers, textile artisans, Lukhanyo himself and the hands that have held him through the course of his life and career.
Photo from The Fourh’s instagram
The research portion made up with the soundscapes and film of Desire Marea and the wall of references. Mdingi has been known, in the spirit of collaboration and curiosity, to include those near him to narrate the nuances of their own lived experiences. The DESIRE film has intimately woven ideas on chaos, harmony, nature and how we flow within it. Desire anecdotally paints a vulnerable image on the ways we choose to show up in this world with the avenues available to us. The striking imagery of the film comment on ideas of power, strength and protection through the juxtaposing of Desire in the robust city of Johannesburg in a tailored suit, against them in the comfort of a personal space, in hypnotic trancelike dance, adorned in soft textile dress and later a deconstructed two-piece.
The rest of the research collates a large catalogue of inspiration, including and not limited to, colours, textures and silhouettes. With it being an incredibly thick and vast collection of inspiration you can pinpoint how ideas lead to a finished product, if not directly then indirectly. Decisions on incorporating pale yellows, rich reds, greens and blues, the 70s orange and pattern that are visible in the Burkina collection, a peplum collar that lead to the M print in look 7, 10, 17 and 19. The inspiration for the LM monogram, soccer and athletic silhouettes, dyed yarn and fabric swatches with some dating back to 2019. This is a testament to the importance of documentation, experimentation and consistency. This thorough research and documentation has led to a strong personal archive, making it only easier to create new collections that are a progression of skill and impulse, yet still cohesive and connected to previous work.
The Polaroids chronicle much of his time in the studio with his loved ones and behind the scenes of his lookbooks. These images capture feelings and stories that words sometimes cannot, of warmth, mutual trust and respect. Repetition is one of the best tools for editing and fine tuning, the piles of lived-in, dog-eared journals filled with Mdingi’s artist sketches stand as testament to this truth. Forcing one to be their own critic and scrutinise what makes the final cut and why.
The Provenance does an amazing job at showcasing the history and sentiment of the brand running as far AS 2015 and how it has remained steadfast in its adoration of partnership, ingenuity and honesty. Cementing, not only the relevance, but the necessity of craft and artistry in contemporary design.
Photo by Jhonathan Baena
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LUKHANYO MDINGI’S MOST RECENT CREATIVE ENDEAVOUR, THE PROVENANCE, PART 1 WAS AN EXHIBITION AT THE FOURTH CO-CURATED BY MORNE VIASGIE AND THE FOURTH, BASED ON THEIR AW22 COLLECTION: BURKINA.