Bulumko Mbete

Bulumko Mbete, born in 1995, is a Joburg based artist and writer with multicultural heritage.

Mbete completed her BFA at the Michaelis School of Fine Art.

In her artistic practice. She is interested in materiality; through using textile, beading, and

weaving; she creates a framework to communicate generational traditions and gestures of love.

Her interests also expand into ways of engaging with the archive and using the archive for creative

storytelling. In this pursuit, she uses archival matter such as photographs, textiles, and clothes.

Mbete explores the geographic connections and synchronicities within her family in relation to

South African history and its effect on migration, labour, farming and love.

Bulumko is expanding her creative exploits through experiments in curation or creating spaces for

gathering and conversation. Her current project is titled Memory Proceeding which explores the

studio practices of 11 artists and creatives. The exhibition/project space involves the display of

studio experiments and completed works as a site of discussion which will reflect on how artists

establish techniques and areas of focus within their practices. Looking specifically at the ways

that they are influenced by their interests in history, sustainability, cityscapes, home and shifting

cultural narratives.