“Africanness” in the Oeuvre of the Ceramist Esias Bosch (1923–2010)

Abstract

It has been claimed that the oeuvre of stoneware studio pottery by Esias Bosch (1923–2010), the country’s pioneering figure of that discipline, conveys an Africanness in the look and feel of the works. Such assumed attributes relating to Africa are contestable when considering which and whose values and meanings are assigned to Africa, Africanity, and Africanness. Newly found archival material elaborates on the first-hand engagement by Bosch with an indigenous cultural tradition of pottery in Nigeria and the revisioning of some of its forms by Michael Cardew (1901–1983) at the Abuja Pottery Training Centre. Although the new archival material sheds light on Bosch’s encounter with one of Africa’s indigenous cultural traditions of pottery, it does not support the claims that his stoneware oeuvre can be characterised as being reflective of Africa. The context of such characterisation must be considered against the backdrop of the evolution of South African studio pottery, with practitioners seeking to develop signature styles that would appeal to the consumer and collector base, hitherto prejudiced towards mass-produced ceramics with Western features. This article addresses issues of Western-orientated perspectives of “tradition”, cultural referencing, and identity.