Cosmic Movements

The power and majesty of Ndebele people is expressed through the photography of artist, Adrienne W. Hoard. Dr. Hoard’s study of the cultural transformation among the Ndebele Nation is brought to life in her images, resulting from years of traveling in the provinces of South Africa since globalization. The Ndebele women artists are known for their abstract images and patterns, both worn as beaded adornment and painted on the walls of their homes. The photographs depict the men, women, children, their dwellings and activities. In addition, the images display several of the areas in which modernization and “westernization have had an influence on aesthetic as well as social choices. As an abstract painter herself, Dr. Hoard is uniquely sensitive to issues of change, in terms of the color and form transformations.

As a researcher in the psychology of visual perception, Dr. Hoard is quite concerned about the impact of “the whole world watching.” while the Ndebele experience an expressive cultural evolution. Her empathy for the courage of these women to stay true to their art and ritual is expressed in the photographs. Her admiration for the dignity and beauty of the Ndebele people is exposed to each viewer of this exhibition of thirty color and black & white photographs.