Art on Display
Art on Display
New exhibit by Fileve Tlaloc explores the history and culture of the Creole people
OLEAN - An opening reception was held last Friday for the current Tri-County Arts Council exhibit, "Coloured Pots (Izinkamba kwamaKhaladi)” by Fileve Tlaloc, which is on display through September 24th. The TCAC building is located at 110 W. State Street, Olean.
As an artist, Fileve Tlaloc was 2 when her paternal grandmother placed a paintbrush in her hand and dipped the brush into oils. Since then, Fileve has remained inspired to involve her life in art. She uses her artistic skills to render something beautiful and thought provoking.
Coloured Pots (Izinkamba kwamaKhaladi) is an example of pottery inspired by the izinkamba style of the amaZulu ethnic group, which in part, makes up Fileve’s maternal line. By transposing family photographs and snippets of scholarly work based on race onto these pots, the work explores the history, culture and identity of creole people in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa who are known as “Coloureds.” This work connects the past and the present by exploring family photos of individuals and communities that played a role in the creation of the creole ethnic group. Through the combination of clay, photography and scholarly research, Fileve unpacks notions of race, purity, science, and law in relation to creole individuals and communities who are combinations of indigenous Africans, settler Europeans, and immigrant Asians.
Coloured Pots (Izinkamba amaKaladi) contributes to artistic and cultural diversity by showing the exchanges and intimate relationships across cultural and geographical borders. Although the focal point builds upon Fileve’s personal heritage living abroad and her intentional, personal maintenance of her familial relationships in South Africa, the subject matter and her local experience opens a forum for discussion of similar instances of creolization in America as well as engaging timely issues of privacy, policy and agency.
Fileve is a multigeneration, creole South African American artist born and raised in NYC. She has a doctorate in anthropology from Indiana University in Bloomington that focuses on the identity formation and creole communities in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. The recent ceramic pieces were influenced by these studies and completed with the support of a Statewide Community Regrant. She is currently volunteering with the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum.
For more information on this and any other exhibits at the TCAC, visit www.tricountyartscouncil.org or call 716-372-7455. The Tri-County Arts Council has updated and reorganized their Artist Market and is open to the public Tuesday through Friday from 2:00-6:00pm and Saturday from 12:00-5:00pm.