A 5 metre by 2 metre hand-embroidered tapestry telling the story of climate change through the eyes of a rural Eastern Cape community is set to go under the hammer next week.
"Umlibo", created by 43 artists from the Keiskamma Art Project in the remote village of Hamburg, will be auctioned by Strauss & Co on September 15, with a presale estimate of between R250 000 and R350 000.
Commissioned by WWF South Africa with funding from the government of Flanders, the tapestry was created as part of a marine project focused on sustainable livelihoods.
The title, "Umlibo", is an isiXhosa word referring to the sprawling, creeping tendrils of the wild pumpkin vine, a metaphor for interconnectedness, unity, and the organic dissemination of knowledge across geographic boundaries.
The piece captures personal histories, lived realities, scenes of fishing grounds, cattle and food gardens trace what a changing climate has done to the community that made it.
Up close, the intricate detail comes into focus: A woman on a donkey cart. Red cattle grazing beside wind turbines. A fisherman casting his net into an embroidered estuary.
Applique, beadwork and thick coloured cotton build the scenes onto hessian, some sections worked in relief so that flowers and waves stand off the surface.
From a distance, however, the individual scenes merge into the shape of a butterfly. One wing represents the hardships brought by a changing climate, while the other points towards the possibility of a more sustainable future.
As climate pressures continue to intensify, the sale of "Umlibo" is intended to help support conservation work while also returning funds to the community that created it.
The project's head seamstress, Veronica Betani, said the tapestry reflects the difficulties faced by people in Hamburg.
"We have poor infrastructure and the impact of climate change and drastic change in weather conditions it makes it difficult for everyone. I have to keep a basin on my bed when it rains because the roof is in such a bad condition.
"The tapestry took us over two months to complete, but reflects our community through the embroidered artwork. The proceeds we get from the sale of 'Umlibo' we will use to make another iconic work that will also be sold," said Betani.
In 2023, "Umlibo" travelled to the international climate meeting, COP28 in Dubai, where it caught the eye of President Cyril Ramaphosa who remarked that the colourful, hand-stitched work “contained everything any head of state needs to say about the climate issue".
Senior marine specialist at WWF South Africa, Craig Smith, said the 43 artists stitched their own home and livelihoods into "Umlibo", and showed a changing climate already reshaping them.
"What happens in a tiny village such as Hamburg is a warning for all of us. Nature is our home. Selling the work carries that message forward, and we would love it to go somewhere people can keep engaging with it for years to come," said Smith.
"Science can be hard to communicate but art is about stories and people. It is a form of information people can digest and relate to. Art becomes the vehicle to bring the message to the people," said "Keiskamma Art Project", project manager, Michaela Howse.
The "Keiskamma Art Project" has exhibited internationally for two decades. Its large-scale tapestries, among them "The Keiskamma Altarpiece", "The Keiskamma Guernica", "The Creation Altarpiece" and "The Keiskamma Tapestry", have been shown in museums and galleries across South Africa, Europe and North America, several of them responding to the HIV/Aids epidemic and its toll on the community.
A portion of the proceeds from the sale will be donated to the "Keiskamma Art Project" in support of their ongoing efforts toward community empowerment, economic independence, and social transformation through creative practice.
taschica.pillay@nationalmg.co.za