The artwork explores ulwaluko, and its evolutionary path from ancient traditional practice to modernized healthcare, while recognizing the cultural quandary this poses for initiates, family, and traditionalists.
Fifty-five deformed terracotta penises grouped together on a raised hospital gurney points to the rethinking of ulwaluko tradition. The umkhwetha blanket has moved from bush to hospital bed, sometimes involuntarily, sometimes through choice.
Clay is the predominant material of Liyahamba Isiko, exhumed from the earth, clay is smeared over the body during the initiation period, and is used here to symbolise the fragility of life and the precariousness of the practice of ulwaluko in the 21st century.