Loving N'gingangi 2013

Editor: This is Manuela Sambo's "Loving N'gingangi" from 2013, created with acrylic paint. The muted greens and yellows give it a somewhat otherworldly feel, and the figures' skin is adorned with swirling, symbolic designs. How do you interpret this work? Curator: The recurring motifs across both bodies immediately draw my attention. The artist seems to use these symbols—circles, sunbursts, spirals—almost like a language. Consider how these shapes, universal in many cultures, evoke cycles of life, growth, and interconnectedness. Do you see how the artist might be layering personal or cultural meanings onto these ancient symbols? Editor: I do see the connection now, and I had noticed the figures' skin art reminded me a bit of indigenous tattoo practices. Do you think the 'N'gingangi' in the title offers a further clue? Curator: Absolutely. Titles often provide vital keys to unlock deeper meanings. 'N'gingangi' might allude to a specific cultural origin or personal narrative Sambo is referencing. I find myself thinking about the maternal aspect too, not only biologically, but perhaps even a connection to the earth itself. Look at the swirling lines behind them – could those also suggest an umbilical cord or maybe root systems of a giant, nurturing tree? Editor: That’s a powerful reading, I hadn’t considered those forms to be so overtly symbolic. The painting almost acts as a map then. Curator: Precisely. And those star-like points interspersed between the background’s swirling lines add another layer of cosmological depth, suggesting an understanding of ancestral guidance that surpasses human sight, further deepening the mystery. What is this mother trying to transmit, not just biologically, but ancestrally, cosmologically? Editor: Wow. I’ll definitely look more closely at how artists employ symbolism in their work from now on. Curator: Likewise. Thinking about cultural symbols reminds me of how art anchors identity.