Southern Guild, a gallery representing contemporary African artists, has found its way to the City of Angels, kicking off its new outpost with dual inaugural shows Mother Tongues and Indyebo yakwaNtu (Black Bounty).

‍Indyebo yakwaNtu (Black Bounty) is a solo exhibition by South African sculptor Zizipho Poswa. The exhibition features Poswa's impressive sculpted versions of African beautification and ritual objects such as precious metal jewelry, beadwork, hair combs, and pins. Poswa’s work is an artistic exploration of both the natural and self-producing beauty of the African continent, referencing its material riches as well as cultural, economic, intellectual, and spiritual wealth. 

Also on view is Mother Tongues, a group exhibition uniting the work of 25 artists from across Africa and the diaspora. The thematic focus of the “mother tongue” refers to the significance of one’s native language, which allows them to position themselves to the world as well as in the world. Since the 1960s migration of South African artists, California has been home to a fusion of various “mother tongues” and emerging visual languages. This show, then, adopts a multigenerational and transnational lens to explore the diverse ways in which language and pedagogy are expressed.

Mother Tongues and Indyebo yakwaNtu (Black Bounty) are on view now at Southern Guild through April 27.