When the explosive creativity of artist Rich Mnisi met the textural talents of our weavers Funiswa and Nokwaka ~ something special was created. We have some of our best fun when we collaborate with creatives on projects that push the boundaries for us.
Rich Mnisi is an artist best known for his fashion brand and his photography and social advocacy platforms. He has taken the step into furniture design with his first solo exhibition “Nyoka” (Snake) which opened recently at Cape Town’s Southern Guild gallery. His inspiration for the collection came from his mother’s dream about a snake. While she was fearful, she also recognised the beauty in the snake – out of fear and discomfort comes beauty and togetherness.
The entire collection is a collective contribution of diverse African talents, and we were so proud when Rich chose to work with our master weavers to create a colossal rug for the collection. He spent time with weavers Funiswa and Nokwaka, learning more about their craft and weaving with them on our large wooden loom. They looked forward to his visits, affectionately naming him “indoda ende” (tall man).
Despite having worked in weaving for over two decades, both women agree that working on this rug was a career highlight for them. “It took three months to spin and weave, so it’s like my baby,” says Nokwaka. “It taught us even more about patterns, design and creativity,” says Funiswa. “We had a lot of fun. And, also, it’s nice to be famous for a bit!”
The rug spans 5m in length and is woven from pure karakul wool and curly mohair, responsibly sourced in Southern Africa. It has a curvy, organic shape and plays boldly with colours, tufting and various weaving techniques. Our favourite part is the voluminous mound of extra long tufting which makes you want to sink deep within the rug.
‘It’s this humongous rug, and there are so many textures and so much movement to it, but I didn’t imagine it in a home when designing as that would limit how far I took it, because I would think of the user’s convenience.’ ~ Rich Mnisi
“As a small, growing artisan business it was a wonderful compliment to be approached to work with a globally recognised art curator like The Southern Guild. Rich Mnisi is a talented African artist and we love that he could relate with our weavers in their mother tongue. There was a great deal of affection for him, from the moment he entered the looms we could feel the tangible energy and excitement. Rich loved our 1400 colour poms (choosing colours with him was truly memorable!) and he showed such a keen interest in learning more about our weavers’ unique skills and the beauty of our locally sourced African fibres. Rich was so warm and personable and it was a pleasure to share the journey of his incredible rug growing on loom. There is a huge sense of pride from our whole team, especially from Funiswa and Nokwaka.” ~ Jeannine Birch, Founder and Creative Director of Coral + Hive
Rich aptly named the finished product ‘Nwa’Ntlhohe’ (Pure Beauty), and we were beyond proud to see it centre stage at the launch of Nyoka at The Southern Guild Gallery on Saturday.
Nyoka by Rich Mnisi is on view at The Southern Guild Gallery until 4 February 2022.
See more about the collection in this feature by Wallpaper magazine.
