Bogosi Sekhukhuni
Sekhukhuni’s untitled poster is a digital rendering of a proton-proton chain reaction, one of the two known sets of nuclear fusion reactions by which stars burn. Appearing as bacteria under a microscope, it alludes to the interconnectedness not only of terrestrial life but of cosmic forces. Sekhukhuni, who maintains that the concept and execution of an artwork cannot be viewed in isolation from each other, is predominantly concerned with the links between science and art education. In reimaging the models built by scientific rationalism, the artist finds alternate ways to picture the world, inviting the physical to coexist alongside the spiritual. It is this translation from science to art, from diagram to kaleidoscopic abstraction, that lends Sekhukhuni’s untitled poster its intriguing hybridity.
Bogosi Sekhukhuni’s practice speaks to themes of connectivity (and its antonym) that have come to characterise the digital age. His interest in the scientific hypothetical is a testament to his belief in the role of the artist as a social reimaginer. Negotiating the intersections of art, science and technology, Sekhukhuni invites us to question what we take for granted and, perhaps more importantly, what we deem incomprehensible.