Sacred Silhouettes

Rooted in Africa’s soulful essence, the new Stellar collection – a collaboration between Indigenus and Zizipho Poswa – is a bridge between cultural legacy and personal memory.

WORDS Gina Dionisio PHOTOS Supplied

Founded by Peter van der Post in 2014, Indigenus is well known for its bespoke planters and collaborations with renowned local and international designers such as Laurie Wiid, SAOTA, Andile Dyalvane, Haldane Martin and Yabu Pushelberg.

Their latest collaboration, the Stellar collection, is with Zizipho Poswa, an internationally recognised South African sculptor and ceramic artist – and is one of their largest to date in terms of scale.

“We wanted a planter design with an anchoring soulfulness that Africa brings, and Zizipho was the obvious choice for us, especially given the beautiful large-scale pieces she has been creating more recently. The shape we were interested in was also very present in her work, so it seemed like a natural fit,” says Indigenus.

Zizipho, best known for her monumental ceramic and bronze sculptures that celebrate African womanhood, cultural heritage and ancestral knowledge, brings a unique textural element to the new collection.

“By shaping contemporary planters from the silhouettes of African traditional beer pots as a sanctuary for growth, these pieces carry forward both the communal warmth of my heritage and my mother’s love for nature,” says Zizipho.

“We believe that texture and evidence of handwork are becoming more important in design, so this offered us the opportunity to combine these elements and simultaneously stretch ourselves to create a handmade, textural planter that was repeatable in production,” says Indigenus.

The calabash-shaped Stellar has a distinctly African aesthetic but feels universal, making it ideal for hotels and resorts, game lodges, and anywhere surrounded by natural beauty.  | indigenus.co.za

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