Golden trinity

The number three is a sacred number that signifies completeness. In many religions

and cultures, the number three is an interlinking connector of mind, body, and spirit.

This trilogy of flow, form and foundation is the basis for life as we know it and

imagine it to be.

Following the cycle of life, death, and rebirth, Africans have long had a profound

relationship with their ancestors and the ways of their forbearers, while

simultaneously embracing the teachings of Christian and Islamic faith. The cosmic

ways of past, present, and future through the lens of religion informs and influences

how Africans maneuver their state of being, their identity as well as their ancestry.

What has been evident is that the need for Africans to reimagine and ultimately give

way for a new yet ancient way of living is essential. The widespread proliferation of

spiritual expression in the African continent has been a bittersweet sphere to

navigate for many. There continues to be more questions than answers seeping

through how we relate religion and resonate it with African Ancestry.

The ‘Golden Trinity’ seeks to explore and bring into question the understanding of

one-self and one’s ancestral echoes. I have been intentional in my use of colour,

being blue, brown, and gold, which are pivotal and common in African cultures.

Moreover, I made use of the elements; earth, liquid and fire, to further emphasise the

spiritual importance of the number three. Connecting the use of artistic texture

manipulation, the malleable and ductile gold element, and the grounding position of

the subject to enrich the symbolic meaning of searching and seeking for Completeness.

As a South African whose roots are firmly in Gauteng, a place of Gold, I am molded

together by the need for self-expression, spiritual awakening, and the convergence

of all that surrounds me. I am a melting pot where the golden trinity overflows,

abundantly nourishing self and others.