THAIO ABRAHAM LEKHANYA

We have been captivated by her work, though many may not immediately recognize her name. Mary Sibande is an exceptional South African contemporary artist whose practice reimagines the figure of the domestic worker. Through striking sculptural installations and evocative photography, she constructs immersive worlds inhabited by her alter ego, Sophie—a character who embodies the lived experiences of generations of women in her family. Sophie is not merely a fictional creation; she is a living archive of memory, shaped by the journeys of Sibande’s mother and grandmother, both of whom worked as domestic workers during the apartheid era.

For Sibande, Sophie becomes a vessel through which personal history intertwines with national history. In her presence, the everyday uniform of servitude is transformed into something regal, theatrical, and defiant. This transformation allows Sibande to reclaim a narrative that, for so long, was written by others. Sophie embodies the silenced voices of South African women whose lives were defined by service but rarely celebrated for their resilience, creativity, and quiet acts of survival.

Sibande draws heavily from the world of fashion design, stitching narrative into fabric and symbolism into every seam. Her sculptures are clothed in elaborate, Victorian-inspired garments, tailored with care and precision. These garments are not mere costumes; they are statements. The voluminous skirts, high collars, and rich detailing evoke both colonial history and imagined grandeur, creating a striking contrast with the stereotypical blue domestic worker’s uniform that Sophie’s clothing references.

By reimagining these uniforms into opulent gowns, Sibande highlights the tensions between servitude and sovereignty, invisibility and presence. In this way, dress becomes a language—a visual text that challenges how South African women have been seen, represented, and remembered. Among her most celebrated works is “Long Live the Dead Queen,” a series that envelops Sophie in a royal presence, questioning who has the right to power, legacy, and visibility in history.

Born in Barberton, South Africa, Mary Sibande emerged as a bold voice in a space long dominated by male perspectives. Her work, while deeply personal, resonates on broader cultural and political levels. It is celebrated for its powerful storytelling and its ability to interrogate identity and memory within South Africa’s post-apartheid landscape. By centering the figure of Sophie, Sibande reclaims a lineage of women whose stories were often relegated to the margins.

Her practice has not only contributed to conversations around gender, race, and labour but has also expanded the possibilities of contemporary African art on the global stage. Exhibited both locally and internationally, Sibande’s work is recognized for its ability to blend the intimacy of personal memory with the weight of collective history.

At the heart of Sibande’s practice lies an engagement with counter-historical narratives. She employs sculpture and photography as tools to disrupt official versions of history, opening spaces where alternative stories can be told. Through Sophie, Sibande reconstructs the identities of women whose labor underpinned households, yet whose humanity was often erased from the national narrative.

Her work does more than challenge—it reimagines. It asks viewers to confront the uncomfortable legacies of apartheid and Western imperialism, while at the same time envisioning new futures where these women are no longer hidden but central. Sophie’s gowns, dramatic in their scale and commanding in their presence, invite audiences into a space where the servant becomes the queen, the invisible becomes visible, and the silenced find voice.

Mary Sibande’s art remains an act of reclamation and resistance, but it is also deeply hopeful. By transforming her family’s history into a visual language of power and beauty, she opens doors for new interpretations of identity, womanhood, and history in South Africa. Her work is not confined to galleries—it reverberates into broader cultural conversations, urging us to think about who gets remembered, who gets celebrated, and how narratives are constructed.

Sibande’s Sophie continues to stand tall, clothed in garments that tell stories of pain, survival, and triumph. She is at once a reflection of the past and a vision for the future, a reminder that history is never fixed but constantly reshaped by those brave enough to imagine it anew.

This article was first published here.
Re-published in herri with kind permission of the author.