iNgqikithi yokuPhica / Weaving Meanings: Telephone Wire Art from South Africa

“In the face of adversity and resource scarcity, telephone wire artists dared to imagine new possibilities…leaving behind a legacy that inspires us to rethink waste, challenge conventions, and celebrate the ingenuity of the human spirit.”

—Muziwandile Hadebe and Ntuthuko Khuzwayo, Indigenous Knowledge Experts

iNgqikithi yokuPhica / Weaving Meanings: Telephone Wire Art from South Africa explores the rich history and cultural significance of a uniquely South African art form. The first major North American museum exhibition to focus on the art of telephone wire weaving, Weaving Meanings traces the journey of wire as an artistic medium from its early use as a symbol of social status in the 16th century to the innovative recycling of telephone wire by Zulu-speaking communities today. Each basket, plate, and sculpture tells a story of heritage, identity, and tradition, embodying the artist’s ability to transform everyday materials into powerful works of art.

Originating from the Museum of International Folk Art (MOIFA), Weaving Meanings was curated by Dr. Elizabeth Perrill, an expert on Zulu ceramics, and Muziwandile Gigaba, an artist and lecturer at Nelson Mandela University, in close collaboration with South African Indigenous Knowledge Experts. The exhibition is made possible by the generous donation of David Arment and Jim Rimelspach, support from the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, International Folk Art Foundation, Friends of Folk Art, a grant from the William H. and Mattie Wattis Harris Foundation, and donors to the Museum of New Mexico Foundation exhibit development fund.

Please contact Nicole Byers for more information and for bookings.