Award-winning fine artist Kutlwano Monyai has unveiled a deeply personal body of work that celebrates the transformative power of joy and the quiet wisdom of domestic education through crocheting plastic bags.
Monyai is the 2024 Absa L’Atelier Art ambassador and winner, and two years after her crowning, she debuted her solo exhibition Dakalo: The Ultimate Gift at Gallery Momo in Parkhurst, Johannesburg, at the weekend.
The exhibition is an accomplishment that she says was hard-earned, having entered the prestigious competition twice before.
“I had entered twice before because I wanted to showcase my work on bigger platforms; and I have seen many other artists who have entered and how it has propelled their careers. That’s what I wanted for my career as well. So far, it has changed my life,” says the 29-year-old from Atteridgeville, west of Pretoria.
Monyai follows in the footsteps of previous winners, including Malebogo Molokoane, Bulumko Mbete, Abongile Sidzumo and Nina Kruger.
She describes the exhibition as both a tribute to the women who shaped her life and an exploration of the domestic tradition of crocheting, a skill passed down through generations by her mother and grandmother. “Craftwork is big at home and we overlook it all the time, and having the opportunity to bring this work to light tells my story and their stories and experiences,” she says.
“I come from Atteridgeville, where there are many communities of women that crochet. With making art, there are so many mediums and techniques, but I seldom saw the type of art I thought was incredible that my mother and grandmother made.
“Since sticking to this medium and making this work, it has opened my eyes to see that this work is important in telling the stories that I was unable to tell when I painted. It has also moved me closer to home.”
Inside Gallery Momo, Monyai’s softly illuminated works appear to float against vivid carrot-orange and apple-green feature walls. At first glance, they resemble abstract paintings.
A closer look, however, reveals richly layered compositions crafted from unexpected materials, including polyethylene [plastic bags], concrete, wood and crocheted forms. Some works remain deliberately unfinished, embracing imperfection as part of their story.
Heated and ironed sheets of polyethylene are fused together, wrinkled and creased into layered collages that resemble qualities of painting. Alongside these techniques, she incorporates crochet, quilting, concrete and wood, extending the works into sculptural forms.
The name of the exhibition, Dakalo, is a Tshivenda word meaning joy; a reflection of her courageous personal journey of gratitude and interconnectedness layered in the complexities of grief and loss.
Monyai lost her father in 2024, the same year she received the award. “The inspiration behind the title is the conclusion I have drawn from my experience with grief. After the loss of my father, I was left with the question of how grief exists with joy, and so my work is such a personal experience,” she says
Monyai holds an honours degree in fine art from Tshwane University of Technology, where she specialised in painting and sculpture. Yet, after graduating, she faced a three-year period of unemployment that forced her away from conventional art-making.
Although financial constraints made it impossible to afford traditional painting and sculpting materials, her desire to create never faded.
“I had to find whatever was around me to keep on making. During that time, I read books, watched more TV and followed artists, attended exhibitions... and that’s where I got the opportunity to have the work that I’ve made showcase in different exhibitions as well. I continued building my profile so that I could be visible,” she says.
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