Azania Forest on honouring her heritage through art
Azania Forest is a multi-disciplinary artist who expresses herself through visual art, photography, and fashion. Azania Forest draws inspiration from her multicultural background, traditional European fine art, and African heritage – she tells these stories through her lens and adds her interpretations. True to her name, Azania meaning emancipation of Africa post-1994 and Forest being an infinite place of possibilities and exploration, she addresses various issues that plague our society such as South African inequalities, black women’s liberation through all facets, and preservation of culture.
She opens up critical conversations through symbolism in artworks such as Mbona Lisa and Lady Liberty, whilst still empowering us to own our narrative and tell stories that highlight the beauty of black women. Azania Forest intelligently intersects the impact that apartheid had on South Africa and encourages us to reflect to move forward with purpose. Azania enquires about her identity and makes sense of it all through every artwork she creates.
During our catch up over coffee, I learned about how she nurtured her calling, the themes central in her work, and how she uses her voice to create her legacy.
1. How did your experience of growing up in a multi-cultural family play a role in forming your identity? I am sure you are still drawing in so much knowledge from both your families?
My mum is Xhosa and then my dad is Tswana. My dad was raised Tswana but he doesn’t know his mother’s culture because she doesn’t know her father. They only know the mother’s side. Those two are very different cultures because my mum is from the Eastern Cape and then my dad is from Gauteng. Just go going back home to my mom to visit her family is a different experience – even the scenery is different it’s not like visiting someone here in Gauteng like visiting my mom there in Soweto or my dad’s family. I have to go to the Eastern Cape frequently because she also has to see her family. It has made me so open and receptive to someone different from me. I don’t have a narrow view of a way of living or lifestyle. I have two contrasting cultures that don’t even sound alike – cultures that are not even dialect of each other. If someone is way different from me, it is very interesting for me to learn from them. It has made me open and receptive to identities, to other people who are not like me. I can say it has made me affluent culturally.
2. That is so beautiful. And you are probably still learning things about them from both sides.
I really am. I recently found out that my mom’s clan actually come from Khoi San. I realized even where they stay, is very dessert-like. It made sense, their landscape, and her lineage. So it was very interesting to find out where do they come from and how colonial the Eastern Cape and how influenced by colonialism the place is. With my dad’s side, I have a very shallow knowledge. I don’t go to where his great grandfather or grandfather grew up in. I always hear them talking about it – it’s in the North West, it’s also very dessert-like. Tswanas have a very Khoi thing about them. I am trying to trace both my mom’s and dad’s side. I am more fond of my mom’s side. It’s a responsibility I guess to search into that.
3. Why is preserving culture so important to you?
Preserving culture is important to me because if you don’t know where you come from, you don’t know your people, who birthed you – you have no sense of reference as to who you are. Your mother is you, your aunts – those are a part of you. You share DNA. If you don’t know where your people come from – there is a lack of knowledge about yourself. If my grandmother was an excellent teacher or nurse in her time, it gives me knowledge as to, “Oh if my grandmother could be a nurse, I can be a nurse as well because she’s a part of me, I’m a part of her.”
I get a sense of structure knowing who were the people that brought me here. That is why it’s important for me to preserve the knowledge that our great grandparents passed onto our grandparents and even to us. There are some traditions that Western medicine or technology can never truly grasp. Concepts, emotions, and the English language can’t describe them in the way your culture can. It is extremely important to preserve things like that. That makes who we are as a people.
4. I love that. It’s so important because I also feel like it’s so hard to trace back work that documents African spirituality, rituals, and customs. Whereas in the Western world that is so well documented in terms of philosophies and religions. When you come here, it’s so hard to access that.
It’s not in books, it’s not documented. That is our responsibility right now because we have access to printing books, writing books, language, education as opposed to our grandmothers who that was taken away from. It is our responsibility to preserve.
5. Congratulations on launching your fashion brand and being signed to an art agency in France. What inspired your decision to study fashion and how did you find that journey?
I have always known that I like creating. I like making things and also at that time, I liked fashion a lot. There was a change here in South Africa – the Braam culture and Neighbourgoods were forming, fashion was just so different. We had access to the internet, we could see what other countries were doing and how we can interplace ourselves in the world as Africans but in global people. That’s when I fell in love with fashion but as you grow you find yourself. What I realized is that I like telling stories so whether it be photography, painting, designing – l like to tell a story. That is why even when I do fashion, it mixes with art because I like to tell a story. I am not necessarily an aesthetic person (like beauty) I love that but I would rather have a beautiful story. Even if things don’t look good, but the story makes sense. If things look good and the story looks good – then wow, amazing!! [Laughing] I am trying to get there but my priority is the story. Telling stories through clothing and visuals – it’s a calling I could say, it’s my vocation.
6. Which themes are central in your art, photography, and fashion work? And how do you find navigating all of these mediums simultaneously?
The basis of all these 3 things is that they are visual things. It is things we see, and things we touch, things that exist. They are not only digital. That is my basis for connection for these things. If I make a dress, then I have to shoot. Then now photography comes in. And then now I want to exhibit it. Now take this creation into an art level. What makes it art is the story that you have about it. If you create something, you have a reference, you are communicating, you are expressing. That can translate into art. That’s why these things don’t live separately in my brain as different things. They live as one thing. I can’t separate them in my mind. If I’m telling a story, whatever medium I am using – it is still the same story. It’s just gonna look different physically. But the story in itself exists. So that’s how I join the 3.
7. I love the documentation of culture in Camagu studio. You incorporate all these diverse identities of black African womanhood into art. May you please tell me more about how it began?
I started Camagu Studio with Lulama Wolf. Camagu means to honor. The purpose of everything we do on that platform is to honor. To honor the people that came before us, to honor ourselves, and to honor our journeys - where we are going. It’s being present whilst acknowledging and appreciating all the things that have brought us where we are. Camagu is about that. You can see it in the aesthetic of our work – we mostly reference African images. What you said, unlike Western culture, documentation for us has been a very political thing. Taking pictures in the 1950s was political. White people would take pictures of us but through the colonial gaze, not to humanize us but to want to deconstruct us. It’s a double-edged sword because what they thought they were doing is destructive but they created archives for us to go back, analyze, and re-interpret today. So that’s what we do. We are self-reflective of where we come from and how we can materialize our thoughts and ideas. If it’s through art, we can do that. If it’s through photography, we can do that. It’s about honoring people and honoring our people.
“Camagu Studio is a concept company that focuses on cultural research and artistic expression. The word ‘Camagu’ meaning ‘to praise’ or ‘to honor ’ in isiXhosa is the foundation of our cause. We learn from our own cultures and in turn, exalt how our heritage has given us the wisdom to pursue our modern identities as Africans. We are students of art and life, therefore, each product or service we produce will come from a place inspired by knowledge and appreciation. The heart of our studio comes from the ideation process. Each product or service comes from a story that is conceptualized and manifested, as a result, there is the intention behind what we offer. We are researchers, students, and storytellers.”
- Camagu Studio on Tumblr
8. Which would you say are your favorite works that you have produced?
Wow, that’s a difficult question because I have never actually looked into that. I do like my current works with Lady Liberty. I like Lady Liberty. I like Mbona Lisa which is an ongoing series, I am still working on it and expanding on the topic. Lady Liberty is also ongoing because it’s so layered and it needs to breathe and be spaced out with time. Currently, those are my top 2 because they are very personal to me. They are personal because I’m a woman, I’m a black woman trying to find my place in the world. I am growing as well. The world is treating me differently than when I was a teenager. Things are different now. I am also looking at the other experiences of other black women and merging that into one story. That is why this work is very important to me, and it’s a continuous thing.
9. Lady Liberty was such an iconic piece of work and packed so much meaning that is important to unpack. How did you feel about the way it was received?
People will always have something to say and I understand. I just wish people would talk to me and communicate what their frustrations are so that I can help out where I can. But if someone is shouting, shouting, shouting, I can’t hear anything.
10. In terms of your photography, what qualities must a subject have for it to be captivating enough for you to capture it?
I was talking about this to a friend of mine. We were having this chat about photography and I realized something about the way black women are captured for magazines and media, thinking about athletes like Serena Williams. They are hyper-stylized, they are captured in what they do in the cover – “I’m an athlete”. If you look at how white women are captured – she could be an athlete or an actress, they will just style her basic: white t-shirt, hair, beautiful and nothing extravagant. I find that to be very interesting. I am trying to move away from how the media portrays black women. They never portray us as just women, I could be an athlete but I’m just an athlete. If I’m shooting this, maybe I could just comb my hair and wear a white shirt, that’s it Black women are always stylized, you must look extravagant, you must look like a goddess. All the time we are looking to make things extravagant for black women. For me, that’s a bit of a problem. It’s like the strong narrative – you remove that this is a person who is also vulnerable. Maybe they are not strong. We don’t portray things as they are when it comes to black women. What is interesting for me in photography is capturing black women as they are – nothing more, nothing less. The way they want to be perceived – that’s it, simple.
11. I have never thought about that before. When you say it, it makes so much sense. That is deep.
But you get to see it. We are always powerful. It’s a racial thing if you look at it deeply.
12. If you ever feel a creative block during a project, how do you reconnect and channel your energy?
I’m in such a creative space right now. I’ve been creating this entire lockdown, I’ve been making stuff. Which I guess, is how I got the agent because I was creating catalogues, and when you put in so much energy into something it just goes. When I have a creative block, I do have those days, I channel that creative block itself. If I feel demotivated, I use the demotivation. I don’t think I have experienced a block to be honest, because a block is when you’re not even sad or happy, nothing is coming to you. I haven’t experienced that, it’s going to happen maybe sometime. I just have pent up energy, I want to release all the ideas in me. I can’t say what to do in a creative block because I haven’t experienced it so far.
13. Which creative materials inspired you on your overall journey? It could be a film, book, exhibition, documentary, or anything?
A camera. That’s been my tool. That has kept me going and it started everything. When my mom bought me a camera, it changed everything for me. It saved my life. It’s the most potent weapon for me.
14. Which brands and artists would you like to collaborate with in the future?
A brand that I would like to work with is Comme des Garçons by Rei Kawakubo. I’d love to work with them with all my heart. I love Comme des Garçons and Alexander McQueen. These are fashion brands mainly. In terms of other brands, I really like Adidas. I like how they allow creative versatility. I would love to work with Adidas but on a real thing like designing a shoe together - not necessarily influencer only. But to create art and collaborate it with the shoe or t-shirt. So far I admire everyone doing art. The thing about doing collaborations is so tough because I am trying to find my voice and my place in the art world. I’m not really in a space of wishing to collaborate with any artists right now. However, I would love to collaborate with anyone who is not in visual art. Maybe someone who does music like instrumentals or dj’ing – that would be nice. As much as I do fashion, I would love to collaborate my art with someone else who does fashion like another designer or brand.
15. And lastly, which words of advice would you give to young artists who aspire to manifest their multi-faceted dreams in this industry?
As much as we take references on the internet, we see everyone’s work. We want to be like them, we want to copy them and we are inspired. I would advise everyone to take time to find the things that mean a lot them. Go offline, find inspiration outside of Pinterest. Look to your family album. Find the resources around you. Use what you have. Stay true to who you are. As much as there is education and all these beautiful references but there has to be a sense of grounding within you. You have to find what you like. Do I like it because everyone likes it and this has 2 million likes, now I also want it? It’s so easy to be swayed because everyone likes a thing but sometimes you find that I actually don’t like it. I like it because someone else likes it. It’s that interrogation of finding what you like apart from the influence and then that gives you a platform to tell your story. When you are influenced by something else, you are guided by yourself. So if I’m going to be influenced by Coca-Cola which is something external from who I am, I will bring myself into Coca-Cola. That is my advice for any artist because, in the end, art is a story.
