Ndikhumbule Ngqinambi

Flag Fragments

Flag Fragments explores the idea of a devaluing flag, and how power relations result in hopelessness to people on the ground. This in turn results in distrust for the powers that be. The idea started in Cape Town, when I was looking at the flag of the South African ruling party, and how this party was a beacon of hope many years ago during the dark days of apartheid. In recent years, this flag has devalued to a point of no return. This situation has also motivated me to also look at flags in referent countries, and relate those flags with one another, to see how power relations play a role in the declining powers of certain national or regional symbols. Part of the experiments resulted in a show for the Barnard Gallery in Cape Town in 2014. It was called True Colours.