As the vibrant pulse of Africa’s contemporary art scene gathers momentum ahead of the 18th edition of FNB Art Joburg, set for September 4-7 at the Sandton Convention Centre, one presentation stands out as a profound beacon of cultural reclamation. Lagos-based Wunika Mukan Gallery is set to unveil “Sankofa: A Call to Remembrance,” the debut solo exhibition of Johannesburg-born multidisciplinary artist and initiated sangoma Nthabiseng Boledi Kekana. This body of work, deeply intertwined with Kekana’s spiritual journey, promises to be a highlight of the fair, embodying Pan-African synergy as a Nigerian gallery amplifies a South African voice on home soil.

Born in 1999 and raised in the resilient township of Alexandra, Kekana’s path to this moment has been one of layered discovery. Her artistic roots trace back to childhood sketches, evolving through formal training at the National School of the Arts, where she majored in Three-Dimensional Design, followed by fashion studies at LISOF (now STADIO)—where she clinched first runner-up in the #MyFashionCareer bursary competition—and a degree in Digital Media in Design (Multimedia) from the University of Johannesburg. Yet, it is her initiation as a traditional healer, or sangoma, that infuses her practice with its most potent energy. “Spirit is calling for us to drop all the facades, the distractions, the pretenses and cages that keep us hidden from our true selves,” Kekana articulates in her artist statement, a mantra that permeates this exhibition.

The genesis of “Sankofa” predates its canvas-bound forms, emerging from the rigorous preparatory rituals of Kekana’s sangoma initiation over a year ago. This process compelled her to excavate severed threads of her heritage—reconnecting with languages, cultures, and familial ties fragmented by time and circumstance. “The faces she met were both foreign and familiar, strangers who carried features, behaviors, and histories that belonged to her because she belonged to them,” the press release poignantly describes. Working from her Johannesburg studio, Kekana adopts a ritualistic pace, layering oil paints, acrylics, charcoal, pastels, and natural fibers like raffia to create textured portals that invite viewers into personal revelation.

At the heart of the exhibition is the Akan philosophy of Sankofa—”go back and fetch”—a concept that challenges the relentless forward march of modernity by insisting that true progress demands a return to one’s roots. Far from nostalgic reverie, Kekana’s works position remembrance as essential spiritual labor, countering a world “that pulls relentlessly toward the future.” Key pieces like *Zazi (Know Thyself)* incorporate Imfibinga beads (Job’s tears), traditionally gathered by Zulu women for teething remedies and imbued with spiritual symbolism for peace, strength, and healing. These seeds, in Kekana’s hands, transform into tactile auras that bridge the aesthetic and the ancestral. Similarly, *Umsamo (Sacred Space)* evokes Zulu domestic altars through grass mats, red ochre (Dzumane, pivotal in sangoma rituals), soil, and cowrie shells—positioned not by design but by prayer, landing where “they are meant to be.”

Kekana’s oeuvre draws from dreamscapes, the natural world, and ancestral counsel, echoing influences like South African artist Mmakgabo Sebidi, Kenyan-American Wangechi Mutu, Sudanese painter Kamala Ibrahim Ishag, and even Western masters Alberto Giacometti and Claude Monet. Her textured layers serve as vessels for subconscious narratives, reweaving fragmented identities through “sacred materiality.” As she reflects, “Creating is a way of remembering, of calling forth what was, what is, and what will be.” Once completed, these works are released to their destinies, open to interpretation yet charged with intention, mirroring viewers’ own histories and urging their preservation as sacred.

This presentation marks a milestone for Wunika Mukan Gallery, founded in 2020 in Lagos, Nigeria, by curator and director Wunika Mukan. Formerly known as Pacers, the gallery champions emerging talents from Nigeria, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the diaspora, fostering platforms for local and international engagement. Mukan, a Howard University graduate with a storied career in arts curation—including roles at the African Artists’ Foundation, the Nigeria Pavilion at the 57th Venice Biennale, and the Lagos Photo Festival—has built a reputation for nurturing interdisciplinary voices. Her initiatives, like the Women’s Film Club launched in 2014, underscore a commitment to community-building and amplifying underrepresented filmmakers and artists. Under her leadership, the gallery has gained international traction, notably at fairs like 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in New York, where Nigerian artists shone amid a booming market for African contemporary works.

Bringing Kekana’s vision to FNB Art Joburg—a fair that has shaped Africa’s art landscape since 2008—highlights the growing bridges between West and Southern Africa. As Mukan notes in broader contexts, the post-pandemic era and movements like Black Lives Matter have accelerated global interest in African narratives, with Instagram serving as a vital connector. This solo show, amid the fair’s seven curated sections (including gallery HUB, MAX, and emerging artist platforms), positions Kekana not just as an emerging force but as a healer-artist whose work resonates collectively. Finalist in the 2021 Cassirer Welz Award, top-six in the 2022 Blessing Ngobeni Art Prize, and 2023 recipient of the Makwande Art Residency in France—where her works entered major collections in the US, UK, and South Africa—Kekana’s trajectory is ascendant.

“Sankofa: A Call to Remembrance” arrives as more than an exhibition; it’s an invocation for Pan-African unity in a fragmented world. As visitors navigate the fair’s installations, talks, and institutional showcases from September 4-7, Kekana’s portals offer a pause—a deliberate turn backward to fuel authentic forward motion. In her words, art becomes “a cosmic play of hide and seek,” where the Divine rediscovers itself through us. For those seeking healing amid the rush, this is a homecoming worth remembering.