Commissioned by Dr. Bongani Mashange, a contemporary art jeweller and academic, this project involved designing print posters and digital invitations for his doctoral exhibition An Afropolitan Quest at GUS Gallery. The visual media extended across email and social media, ensuring a cohesive and striking presence for his solo exhibition. Rooted in his research and practice, the designs needed to amplify rather than compete with the artworks. The process became an act of translation: shaping a system that communicates his ideas while foregrounding the elegance and intention behind each piece.
Photographing Dr. Mashange’s pieces offered an intimate encounter with their form and craftsmanship. Each image magnifies detail, the interplay of wood, resin, and metal revealing the dialogue between material and meaning. The compositions highlight the balance and weight of his designs, where sculptural precision meets symbolic resonance drawn from Zimbabwean heritage. The camera became a tool for interpretation rather than documentation, framing light, texture, and reflection to mirror the spiritual and tactile depth of his practice. Through this lens, the jewellery transcends adornment, emerging as sculptural expressions of identity, ancestry, and modernity.
Dr. Mashange values simplicity, allowing his work to breathe through minimal design intervention. Typography became the central visual element, chosen to complement his Afrocentric research while reflecting the duality within his study of identity. The typeface responded to the curves and edges of his sculptural jewellery, visually echoing tension and balance. Slight variations across design versions allowed subtle shifts in expression, mirroring the complexity of his personal and cultural negotiations. Designing for his modern African aesthetic meant stepping away from stereotypical visual codes of “African art,” instead finding an expressive clarity that feels grounded, contemporary, and deeply personal.
Disciplines:
Print Design, Digital Design, Photography
Credits:
Curatorial photos by Mala Mahlulo Studio photos by Lani Du Toit
