Inelastic
by Ayabonga Dlakiya
Cape Town, South Africa
Ayabonga Dlakiya
Ayabonga Dlakiya is a mixed medium freelance artist experimenting with surrealism and expressionist art styles. Her work often incorporates the themes of black femininity and aims to deconstruct the destructive stereotypes associated with black women. “As glorious as they are, black women are still subjected to the most trauma, pain, and strife, when they’re not being kicked down, they’re being held up to insane, unrealistic standards. Among all of this, we still exude this ethereal beauty, and uphold the divine femininity.”
Born and raised in Milnerton, Western Cape, Ayabonga has grown up in an artistic environment, taught to paint by her mother from a young age. Dlakiya’s knowledge is predominantly self-taught, however, she attended Milnerton High School and took up art from 2015 to 2017 where she refined her skill as a visual artist, experimenting with charcoal and paints.
Ayabonga’s work has been accepted into the Orms Textile Archive and has further exhibited her artwork in Collab 22, a thrift shop in Observatory, Cape Town since November 2020. She continues to refine her art and currently works as a teaching assistant at the Peter Clarke Art Center.