TAYHE MUNSAMY

Tayhe Munsamy is a young artist whose artworks reflect her interest in storytelling and whose practice showcases works “within the realms of speculative thinking, fiction, mythology and folklore”. (tayhemunsamy.squarespace.com). She uses these narratives to explore the complexities of her identity as a ‘mixed race’ woman in South Africa. Her experiences as a person who is both Coloured and Indian informs much of her practice. Munsamy says,

“It has shown me the rich cultural storytelling that exists within South African history and how my mixed ancestral heritage is steeped in survival and transformation. That legacy of traditions, rituals, and stories that remain, are the foundations of my artistic practice. My mixed upbringing has ultimately given me an expanded perspective and sense of self that influences my work”. 

BIOGRAPHY

Tayhe Munsamy was born (1997) and raised in Johannesburg. Her parents were very  supportive of her decision to make a career as an artist. She obtained a BA Degree in Fine Art from Goldsmiths University of London in 2020. The following year, she was selected for the RMB Talent Unlocked mentoring programme and group show at the Everard Read Circa gallery in Johannesburg in association with Strauss and Co (SA). More recently (2024) Munsamy obtained her Masters Degree in Contemporary Art Theory from Goldsmiths University in London. She has exhibited her work in group shows in South Africa and internationally and continues to work as a full time artist.  

ARTWORK 

Tayhe Munsamy works in various media; she has produced a short film, does performance art, has written a short story as well as creating digital art and acrylic paintings. She does not prefer any particular medium,

“I choose the medium best suited to the story I want to tell in the piece. I like the flexibility of working in a variety of mediums as it pushes my skillset of experimentation and layering; in both a physical and metaphorical sense. I see this continuing and evolving throughout my career”(Munsamy)

In 2020, Munsamy created a performance piece, titled Ritual Ceremony: Taste, Care, Protection. This was the result of closely examining the superstitions, folklore, traditions and rituals from both her cultures which she merged to create her own fictionalised ritual ceremony ( see image below).

Munsamy divides the ritual into Taste, Care and Protection, including various elements from each of these categories in the staging of her performance. Taste refers to the food that is shared by her family especially those items that have special significance eg. koeksisters, Five Roses tea, Marie biscuits and spices. Food is often the central focus of family gatherings, tradition events and celebrations.

The elements of care are the Amla oil, the swirlkous (pantyhose), hairbrush and curlers. A traditional Indian beauty regime included rubbing oil into the scalp, something mothers would do for their daughters. The swirlkous is a stocking used in the Coloured community to tame kinky/curly hair. Munsamy merges these different cultural aspects of beauty and care, which she says has served as a bonding ritual for woman in her family.

At the beginning of the ritual, Munsamy, creates a protective circle around the ceremonial space with bags of salt. In many cultures salt is regarded as being important to ward off bad luck. Some believe in throwing salt over your shoulder, and an Indian practice is to ‘turn salt’ to ward off the evil eye. Lennons medication which some South Africans trust to treat general ailments is also included as a form of protection.

In the Ritual series, (see above, Ritual I)  Munsamy has merged digital paintings with photo collages to create images that relate to the aforementioned performance piece. The painting shows multiple images of Munsamy, in which she is surrounded by food that is significant to her ; mangoes, litchis, buttered Tennis biscuits and pickled fish. Items commonly used in Hindu prayer rituals like flowers, coconuts, pumpkin, banana leaves and turmeric are included. At the centre of the image, Munsamy has her hair oiled by her mother, completing the ritual of Taste, Care and Protection. When minority communities are displaced, threatened or lost, it is the familiarity of food, family and ritual prayers and practises that bring a sense of belonging and comfort. 

“The artworks capture moments within ritual ceremonies; ones that have been created by merging real, historical elements with fictional features. These fictional ritual spaces represent my creation through my identity – as a woman who has been merged by two cultures, two histories, and two worlds” (Munsamy)

The central theme of the large diptych, Stories around the whispering tree, is that of personal or fictional storytelling. The women in the image are engaged in reading, writing or sharing stories; a reference to the stories that are passed down orally in communities, or those that are documented, and even those that are lost. In South Africa, the official history of Indian and Coloured communities is often limited, or glossed over, making the stories and the traditions that are passed down and remembered by families especially important. Munsamy calls this work, an ‘ode’ to her paternal great grandmother who arrived in South Africa in 1911, and whose history has died with her. The title refers to an old belief that secrets that cannot be shared, are whispered into a hollow in a tree and sealed. Perhaps referring to the idea that not all stories are meant to be shared.

A common feature of Munsamy’s work, is that she uses her own image or often several images of herself as the subject for her work. In the painting above, she is shown in various poses, and all the figures are bound together with a golden thread. She believes that her own image is an essential starting point in her work,

“I draw inspiration from personal stories, cultural mythology, and ancestral history. My likeness in my work is an entry way into that context, but I see the figures in my work as characters that exist in the specific worlds I create. I come from a very matriarchal family, anchored by my grandmothers on both sides. The use of multiple female figures represents the community that I was birthed from”. 

In keeping with Munsamy’s engagement with storytelling, the painting, For those born of the blood, this history is held for you, offers a fictionalised version of history. She accompanied this painting with a short story. Titled The tale that holds our shadows, it provides an alternate telling of South Africa, migration and colonisation. In this tale, the native people of Africa and the migrant people from the east, join forces to resist the colonisers, fighting them off on the sea and on the land to prevent them from looting and taking the land. Munsamy refers to this tale as “the imaginative transformation of the world through fictioning”.

As a young contemporary artist, Tayhe Munsamy uses her artworks to re-imagine and reclaim her history. She brings together the practices, stories and heritage of two different cultures, finding common ground and merging them to create something that is essentially her own. Munsamy’s work is significant as communities in South Africa move away from existing racial divisions and increasingly embrace diversity. In order to co-exist, it is important for us to understand, and respect other cultures and their heritage. Like Munsamy we might also merge different cultures to create something new.

RESOURCES

*Featured artwork by Tayhe Munsamy, We’ve always existed here, reflected under the lemon tree. acrylic on canvas, 2022

taymunsamy.squarespace.com

Email Interview with Tayhe Munsamy 

Tewasart Africa, May 21 2024.

L. Mitchell, Orms Direct, October 5 2022