Noria Mabasa

Noria Mabasa is a Venda artist born in 1938 in Xigalo, Limpopo. She has no formal art training, but, in 1965, began having a recurring dream of an old woman showing her how to model clay. Initially confused by this dream, Mabasa only began working with clay in 1974 to alleviate her financial struggles. Two years later, in 1976, she turned to wood and became the first Venda woman to work in the medium, a space previously reserved for males. Mabasa’s themes are derived from her dreams and traditional life, such as Venda spirituality and culture. She also explores issues of gender, race, loss, and violence – as experienced during and after apartheid.