Igshaan Adams uses found ropes, beads, and fabrics to create tapestries and installations that intertwine the threads of his inquiries into identity and the hybridity of cultures. His work reflects his own experience. Igshaan Adams grew up in South Africa in a community categorized as “coloured” under apartheid. A Muslim raised by Christian grandparents, his works are also inspired by the difficult balance between his faith and his sexual orientation. By incorporating materials and iconographic forms related to Islam and “black culture” in his work, he develops a critical and subtle exploration of the forms of sexual, social, and cultural limitations within the complex context of post-apartheid South African society.
‘Not Working (Working Title)’ is a studio residency, part of Zeitz MOCAA’s ongoing Atelier program. Adams, who works collaboratively and communally to produce increasingly complex and large-scale works, will use the residency to reconsider the pathways and routes of his practice. A starting point for the artist’s intention during his period in the museum, is to re-evaluate his work that presents in different forms, and to re-look at, re-visit and re-work art works that never had the opportunity to be seen outside of the studio.