Lelethu LAMANI

Lelethu Lamani was born in Cape Town and raised in Eastern Cape eNcofimvaba. Her work explores the ‘’undesirable afflictions’’ of the female body such as stretch marks, wrinkles and scars. Throughout her work she uses the female body as a site of inspiration. Lamani replicates these undesired afflictions into metal and from metal into jewellery pieces that are worn to celebrate the things that are hidden on the body. As jewellery is viewed as something beautiful and that adorns the body, in her work she uses jewellery as a tool to convey her own depiction on hidden body affliction.

Lamani views scars  as a form of decorations on the body.Each jewellery piece she creates is a way to celebrate and not allow body affliction to be viewed negative, but rather as something that is part of self.The Results are personal and confronting by the use  various metal techniques on test plates. The use of copper in her work is to resemble the appearance of body affliction on a female’s body.

Lamani’s body of work is a celebration of ‘’undesirable afflictions’ on the female body due to he subject matter, placement and metal consideration. With her work she aims to make people re-look at how they view scars and body affliction, and not be afraid to show and embrace them as part of self. She states’’ I just want everyone to be happy and be in love with whom they are’’