The life of Tony Gum: stream her story now on Showmax

Tony Gum describes herself as an “artist in learning”. She is featured on the MultiChoice Origins docuseries in an episode called Tony Gum – Tony in Langaland: An Artist in Learning, now streaming on Showmax.

What inspired Milked in Africa?

Milked in Africa is a body of work that Tony started working on in 2016 and created the original pieces in 2017. Milked in Africa showcased a more organic state of secretion (having the milk taken out of the mammal.)

“Africa is seen to be represented as a female figure who is able to produce a resourceful asset, which is the milk.”

The dairy system is like a social commentary on the trajectory of the African, examining both the archetypal, contemporary and commercial aspects of milk (the African). “I liked the use of milk because it’s a common fluid that most of us have access to in the world”.

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Tony’s first gallery exhibition

Her first exhibition was in 2016 at the FNB Joburg Art Fair at the Sandton Convention Centre. She had a solo booth with Christopher Moller Gallery.

“I had the first series of Black Coca-Cola in there as well as Twiggy so those were the early developmental stages of my work which were quite beautiful, innocent, and juvenile, Tony says.

She wasn’t interested in how the space was dressed, all she knew was that she wanted to provide her work and that was her main priority.

What material does she use to create her art and why?

She says it depends on how she feels at the time. Currently, she is focusing on photography and slowly merging into videography. She is also working on sculptures: “It’s not like your traditional method of making sculptures but I’m building the sculptures from the ground up and then covering them up with the necessary materials that will make them look like a sculpture, so essentially creating models and prototypes.”

Who is Tony’s biggest art influence and why?

Tony enjoys the works of John Yuri, an artist that explores photography within her work but also is able to transition those mediums into different practices, whether that’s through video or sculptural pieces or making it into just unconventional ways of figuring out modernity with this wonderful practice of taking pictures: “So I really love her, her quirk, uniqueness, and complete liberation in terms of exploring herself and using other people as her muses”.

What motivates Tony to create art

Life and living are what motivate Tony to create her art. “It really is my bread and butter and makes me happy. People really motivate me, just speaking, interacting, and engaging with people on intimate levels does that”.

She is still in the process of learning that the work moves beyond her and connecting with people in the sense where they share their experience as to how they connect and relate to and with the work is the best part.

Who would Tony collaborate with from the Origins cast?

Tony would like to work with Manthe Ribane because she believes that their relationship does deserve a collaboration and the Origins campaign gave them the platform to come together for The Plug cover story.

“We hadn’t had the time to get together and just be in each other’s workspace and be able to appreciate our practices and have that documented”.

She loves Sanaa’s approach to things “being from the township and being a documenter by heart who studied film so I resonate a lot with his internal practice and love and appreciation for people”.