Samson Mudzunga

Samson Mudzunga lives in the Nzhelele valley in Venda, a region in the northern part of the Limpopo Province. Once or twice a year he undertakes a performance to send a completed drum into the world, and his drums and performances over the past decade have become increasingly elaborate. Usually, after his ‘burial’ inside the drum and reappearance in different attire, a huge feast commences, organised by his wife Dorcas. Mudzunga transgresses conventional conceptions of contemporary art practice. He shifts effortlessly between urban white-cube gallery spaces and the rural landscape of Venda, each of which has its own distinct, and different, expectations, values and practices.