Dalingcebo Ngubane

nemO

A hoot heard by the whole community has sent my aunt, little brother and my gran into an unsettling state of fright. My uncle, joyous yet full of regret makes his way home, Guided by the call of Nemo

You see, to my aunt, my gran, my community and I, an owl calling at 2am represented a bad omen. That bad spirits were about. But at 2 am is the only time we would be forgiven for our earlier mischief, my brother and I. For at this time the focus was only on prayer. A dusty drum of holy water would come out of the woodwork and droplets would be gently tapped on our foreheads.

For my uncle, a nomad, the call was a signal to abandon the boat and find his way home.

I grew up fearing nemO. But with time I fell in love with those calls. Cause they meant my only uncle was finding his way home and that no evil would prosper.

The painting of this owl explores duality, fear, anxiety, regret and forgiveness.