#UMBHACO
24 September 2025 TO 31 January 2026
A fabulous Art & Fashion showcase
The Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum presents #UMBHACO in partnership with aBantu Development Agency's project, Ingqungquthela (the convention).
The aBantu Development Agency brought together a group of nine creatives from East London, Gqeberha and Komani in the Eastern Cape. In this recent project, the aBantu Development Agency continued their aim to support the preservation of Amaxhosa beadwork and culture while pushing boundaries and initiating projects for young creatives to express contemporary indigenous culture in new innovative ideas. The groups were led by young Designers working with two beadwork practitioners each.
The creative collaborative teams were challenged to make new contemporay products that utilized traditional beadwork as a point of departure for new contemporary fashion and design. At the heart of the exhibition, Ingqungquthela (the convention) will be showcased.
Over the past 40 years, the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum has invested in traditional beadwork as an important artform of the Eastern Cape. The beadwork collection now boasts over 2000 unique pieces representing the various styles and traditions from across the Eastern Cape. In recent years, the Art Museum, has collaborated with the Red Location Art Gallery on a project to promote Master Beaders in Nelson Mandela Bay. Contemporary pieces from these projects were purchased to reflect the development of traditional fashion on contemporary design. The collection also includes a selection of works by MaXhosa by Laduma which is a luxury clothing label founded by Laduma Ngxokolo. Laduma visited the collection of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum during his development of his knitwear.
Beadwork and textiles from the Art Museum's permenent collection will be on display alongside the young creatives designs.
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