'Speaking to the future': Billie Zangewa's 'Field of Dreams' represents a departure from her recent figurative compositions

The South African artist Billie Zangewa fuses the beauty of humanity and nature through hand-stitched collage.

Open at Site Santa Fe, the show “Field of Dreams” showcases these intricate works made of a material created through the transformation as the byproduct of chrysalis construction. The exhibition will hang through Feb. 12.

“Field of Dreams” represents a departure from Zangewa’s recent figurative compositions that centered on domestic life. After spending two years in pandemic lockdown, the artist shifted her focus to the gravity of the human condition and the interconnectivity of all living things.

“There’s this universal relationship in her work of motherhood, sisterhood and friendship that connects us all,” said Brandee Caoba, Site curator. “You can engage with it as a beautiful object, or you can connect to it in your own way. They’re very intimate and personal.”

Born in Malawi, Zangewa lives and works in Johannesburg, South Africa. She fell into silk work by happenstance.

“She said what she was seeking found her,” Caoba said.

Zangewa studied printmaking in college, but couldn’t afford the pricey equipment needed afterward. She was living with her father at the time, who forbid her to paint at home.

She stumbled into silk while attending a fabric show with an interior designer friend. The organizers gave away silk swatches.

'Speaking to the future': Billie Zangewa's 'Field of Dreams' represents a departure from her recent figurative compositions

“Those swatches were all muted tones, so she started doing cityscapes — portraits of Johannesburg,” Caoba said. “She could work with it anywhere.”

Her subjects moved to more interior landscapes and scenes of domestic life.

“A Place in the Sun” shows her favorite South African beach. The pair of tiny figures represent Zangewa and her son Mika.

“They’re kind of engulfed by the land itself and paying homage to nature is humbling,” Caoba said. “She’s working with very organic shapes. She says she never throws anything away. She has baskets full of scrappy stuff.”

“Sea of Love” is a silk collage of Zangewa’s son Mika sleeping beneath waves of silk.

“Source Energy” reveals the artist’s feet beneath a landscape of hills and ocean. The water is a constant source of renewal.

“Under African Skies” shows the Johannesburg cityscape above a group of children playing cricket in a field. Zangewa seems to be saying that children are oblivious to race and skin tone.

“They’re just playing,” Caoba said. “Many of the works are bringing us closer to the idea of universal love.”

“Element” is a portrait of Zangewa in a pool, her element of choice, a place of refreshment and love.

The show also calls attention to the sociopolitical challenges facing societies today.

“She’s talking about unity,” Caoba said. “She’s talking about love; she’s talking about womanhood. She’s showing private scenes of feminism.

“It’s a beautiful collection of the people in her country,” Caoba continued. “She’s speaking to the future of humanity and the landscape.”