Marubini Awakened

In this richly layered portrait, Marubini—whose name in Venda culture evokes “a place where a family used to live before civilization”—awakens from an afternoon nap into a dreamscape of ancestral memory. Her gaze, soft yet resolute, carries her across time to the Great Kingdom of Mapungubwe, a flourishing pre-colonial civilization in Southern Africa known for its cultural vibrancy and global trade.
Swathed in hues that echo the ethnic diversity of ancient trade routes—from China, India, and Egypt—Marubini becomes a living vessel of gold, copper, and ivory exchanges. Her presence is luminous, yet surrounded by encroaching black—a visual elegy for the colonial forces that dimmed Mapungubwe’s brilliance. The darkness does not consume her; it frames her, reminding us of what was lost and what still pulses beneath the surface.
This portrait is not just a depiction—it is a reclamation. A meditation on legacy, disruption, and the enduring spirit of place.

Dimension:
111cm x 125.3cm