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During the artist’s latest visit to Johannesburg, Colbert Mashile produced four new etchings after a weekend of non-stop work at the David Krut Print Workshop. These new works are still in progress. Mashile works directly onto the plate, with no preparatory material, which translates perfectly into the medium pf printmaking.

The four etchings have so far only been printed in black, all of them containing text (I will use this text to refer to each print). This is a contrast from the rich colours usually employed in his work, allowing us to focus on the strength of the imagery. The figures he creates are clearly derived from his environment (other people and animals), however he adapts these into new forms. The results are creatures born from Mashile’s mind whose familiar characteristics allow us a way into the work.

Mashile’s image Moruti-wa-lesela, which translates literally as “pastor-of-crook” has a mysterious dark figure as its central motif. There are spotted white legs protruding from the bottom of this dark disguise. The cat-like camouflage has ominous eyes, which look at the small bird on the perch as though its wearer is being dictated to. This mysterious figure casts a dark shadow over the landscape it occupies. It is unclear which character is the crook and which is the pastor. Although it is much smaller in size, the bird’s elevated position gives it a sense of authority as it looks down at the larger and more menacing masked creature. This power struggle between the two interests me and I am left wondering what the pastor would be preaching¬– good or evil? This evokes a tension, typical of Mashile’s work, within the piece.

Tumelo Ke Sera, (faith is enemy), references more biblical imagery, not only through the text but also in the drawing. There are three levels within this image. Firstly, the ground, within which the text is written and which contains an image of a snake. The closeness of these two elements makes me wonder if these are the snake’s words. On top of this level, directly above the snake, is another mass of land with a shallow valley in the middle. In this valley stand two subjects, both with their arms extended reflecting the shape of the cross. One wears a dress, while the other stands blindfolded, naked from the waist up, a bird perched on either arm. A clear relation to the crucifixion of Christ is apparent in this image. The blindfolded figure is vulnerable and threatened by the birds, an image which perhaps displays the negative aspects of religion. This scene is set against the third element, the sky, which is clear and unthreatening in contrast to the darker setting below.

The creature on the left of the third print is fascinating. It appears to rise out of nowhere; its features similar to those of a bird and a snake (its long narrow body holds up a head with a beak-like shape). Eye-level with the second figure, resembling a crocodile-anteater hybrid, these two creatures confront each other. The text confirms this conflict, “satani – tshaba – tseleng” meaning “Satan, out of the way”.
The creature on the right stands atop a mound of land, facing the serpent-like creature, leading one to assume that the serpent-like creature is rising up from under the ground, a space associated with hell. Its size is also undeterminable as it disappears off the bottom of the print, alluding to the possibility that this serpent is much bigger than its opposition. There’s a sense of heroism and overcoming adversity in this image.

The final print involves two figures, one astride the other and reads, “Moruti – le – mkhokhedi”, which translates roughly as “pastor with curate” (a curate being a priest’s assistant, however in this case, Mashile’s term is specifically female). The figure crawling is clearly dominated by the one astride her; therefore I read the submissive figure as the curate and the dominant figure as the pastor. The pastor in this image is wearing a mask similar to the subject in the print “moruti – wa – lesela”, again darker in colour to the rest of the body, with pointy ears and menacing eyes. While the sky in this print is also clear, the subject’s head is surrounded by a large dark cloud. Is he carrying this with him wherever he goes? The print is divided by a line down the right hand side, which suggests that the two figures are transcending from one place to another, but where are they going? And where are they leaving from?

While these works are still in progress, specific themes are evident but the work allows for personal interpretation. As with all of Mashile’s work, I am left asking questions, my mind engaged with the references he has made in his work.

Keywords: Artists, Arts-and-Culture, News, Print Workshop