In this episode of the David Krut Podcast, artist Helena Uambembe speaks to Britt Lawton about her artistic practice; her interest in the archive; personal identity; language & working at the David Krut Workshop on a collaborative project in 2020.
Helena is an interdisciplinary artist who currently uses printmaking, performance and photography to recreate and reposition her family history within the bigger context of the country’s history of both South Africa and Angola.
Helena Uambembe was born in Pomfret, South Africa in 1994 to Angolan parents who fled the civil war. Her father was a soldier in the 32 Battalion, a military unit within the South African Defence Force mainly made up of black Angolan men. The 32 Battalion and her Angolan heritage are dominant themes in Helena’s work, in which she explores narratives surrounding the Battalion, interweaving connected symbols and archival material. Helena is one of the Bag Factory’s three 2019 David Koloane Award winners.
Follow her on instagram @uambembe to see more.