About the Universe
South African artist Simphiwe Ndzube’s first U.S. solo museum exhibition, Simphiwe Ndzube: Oracles of the Pink Universe, presents nine new works exploring the interplay between magical realism and history. Magical realism infuses reality with elements of the fantastical and was first utilized by artists in Latin America.
The exhibition integrates themes related to power, conflict, and the search for freedom through the Pink Universe. The Pink Universe is an imaginative world that combines fantasy with the history of Ndzube’s post-apartheid South Africa.
Read Together
How do artists combine fantastical elements and reality? Consider how imagination transforms even the most ordinary environments with this book and art pairing. Compare how Ndzube combines fantasy and history in his art with how author Carson Ellis combines fantasy and reality in the children’s book Du Iz Tak?
Artwork Title: Havasu Falls
Name: Natalia
"Havasu Falls in Arizona is one of the most magical places. It inspires me."
Create Together
Simphiwe Ndzube often collaged photos into many of his figures and creatures. Using this same method of collage, bring your own imagined universe to reality.
Related Creativity Resources
Du Iz Tak?
Du Iz Tak? is a story about two bugs who discover a mysterious plant coming up from the ground written in a completely made-up language. Readers are invited to use context clues and illustrations to interpret what is being said. Like Simphiwe Ndzube's Bloom of the Corpse Flower, Du Iz Tak? reimagines our world into something more fantastical and mysterious.
Create Your Own Universe
Create your very own universe in this fun art exercise! Simphiwe Ndzube often collaged photos into many of his figures and creatures. Make your own collage and construct an imagined universe unique to you.
Thinking About Design
The Art of the Samurai
Suit of Armor and Helmet is a unique object in our collection that looks functional but was actually made in admiration of Samurai’s of the past. Take a closer look at how this suit of armor balances delicate details and symbols of fierceness and consider what faithfulness, loyalty, and dedication might have meant in 18th century Japan.
From Art to Money and Everything in Between
Stepping Back in Time
Explore artworks from the museum’s collection by Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot, Paul Cézanne, Édouard Manet, Willard Leroy Metcalf, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Childe Hassam, and others that tell a story about a complex time in Europe and America.
