The Art of Community Nail Art
Nosipho Ledwaba-Chapman writes about her experience of hosting and documenting our 'The Art of Community' virtual event through nail art.
On Tuesday 5th October, Rising ran a virtual event in partnership with the Voice and Influence Partnership called ‘The Art of Community’ - that brought members of the BIPOC (black, indigenous and people of colour) community together to think, share and build on the inspiring local work, strategies and personal practices past and present that happen in the name of community building.
The event was hosted by Dr. Shawn Sobers, an Associate Professor of Cultural Interdisciplinary Practice at the University of West of England and Director at Fairfield House in Bath, alongside Nosipho Ledwaba-Chapman, a young member of Rising’s community of creatives. Nosipho is a broadcast journalist and nail artist with a strong interest in decolonist practice.
We commissioned Nosipho to share some of the learnings and key themes of the event through her nail art - a subversive and radical artistic practice:
I was commissioned by Rising to visually document ‘The Art of Community’ through nail art. The event was hosted by myself and Dr. Shawn Sobers and, given our difference in age, was a multi-generational exploration of what community means to us and celebrating the community building work that has inspired us. The topics largely followed the importance of community; how community and culture have withstood the tests of time and oppressive systems and reflections of our own experiences of community.
A main topic of conversation was the preservation of culture through geographical and generational changes and how this stands in testament to black people, and people as a whole, being innately communal. This piece attempts to follow this journey of culture – as you can see, there is a white trial that begins in Africa (left pointer) and follows to the UK (right pointer).
The graphics on the left hand represent traditional African practices and are mirrored onto the right hand but with a modern and Westernised twist. I chose to model the nails on mine and my mum’s hands as this reflects the multi-generational aspect of the event. Our contrasting complexions also presents an example of the diversity within black communities that we’d discussed.
I shaped the nails in a rounded almond shape as opposed to a sharp stiletto or coffin shape as I think this provides a softer feel. This is because despite our conversation touching on negative topics such as erasure, grief and alcoholism, the conversation at large felt warm and wholesome.
Why is nail art not seen as a valid artist practice?
Dr Roberts and I spoke of our experiences being raised alongside our cousins in a way that, in much of the Western world, would be expected of siblings only. We also discussed the unwritten rule of respectfully giving an older black lady (related or not) the title “Aunty” and what this looks like in different environments. This is depicted in a very literal sense on the middle and ring fingers of each hand. On the left, written as “dankie Sesi!” (translated: “thanks Sister!”) is an example of how older Sepedi-speaking women would be addressed in South Africa. Reflected on the right, “thanks Aunty!” is an example of how older black women would be addressed in the UK. I also tried to modernise the mouth on the right-hand side by adorning it with a gold tooth and a tongue piercing. (Not that this type of body modification is necessarily modern but we culturally associate it with more recent generations). On each pinkie I have emulated a San Rock Art style to paint two women dancing – dancing being a key feature of communal traditions. The lady on the left pinkie is holding her belongings on her head in a traditional way whereas the lady on the right is holding them in a handbag. On the thumbs is the South African proverb “Ubuntu” meaning “I am because we are”. Although this is something I regrettably forgot to mention at the event, I included it because I think it encapsulates the event’s theme as a whole and the feeling of togetherness we were left with. The text here as well as the blue background throughout are painted in the colours of the Ethiopian flag to commemorate Haile Selassie’s visit to Fairfield House in Bath and pay homage to Bath’s Ethiopian community that Dr Sobers knows so well.
POINTS FOR REFLECTION:
What are some examples of community-led initiatives past and present that you admire, and what can we learn from them?
Who are the people in your community who are consistently doing the work in the fight for racial justice?
How can we meaningfully celebrate the good work that’s happening in the community?
This work has been made possible by Rising Arts Agency and the Voice and Influence Partnership.