SINCE its inception in 2017, the Among The Lillies Ode to the Woman initiative prides itself on giving local women from all walks of life a platform to showcase their businesses in the arts sector.

The cultural platform creates social impact by selecting events that give up-and-coming artists a place to cultivate community and showcase their talents. The theme of their activities is enhancing human creativity.

The event is split into the market, aiming to display unique, innovative goods created to motivate women business owners and the local population, followed by the art exhibition, which Penina Chalumbira curated.

The exhibition titled Rites of Passage features young artists who are still new in the game and trying to make their mark. One of these artists includes a fourth-year art student at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), Zukhanye Ndlaleni.

The work that Ndlaleni will showcase will shed light on mental health issues. She feels that the topic was misunderstood, and more education around it is needed to do away with stigma as well as to help people understand the different layers of mental illness, especially in black communities.

“Penina selected two artworks of mine, which deal with mental health de-realisation-de-personalisation. As an artist, my work predominately surrounds mental health topics and how one can navigate spaces with such conditions,” she said.

One of Zukhanye’s two art pieces that will she will showcase at the exhibition. Picture: Supplied

Ndlaleni said the platform presented her with an opportunity to create awareness. She said her art is her way of making a difference in the world by imparting her knowledge on the issue through her paintings.

“My work is more ‘satirical’ on mental health. It is not in your face, but it is a situation that presents more questions to the viewer. I feel like when the topic is so evident and put out there, it is either rejected or an uncomfortable space and position, where people do not want to reach a consensus. As an artist, I want to introduce it to become an easy and more approachable subject,” said Ndlaleni.

The art students said platforms such as Among The Lillies are much--needed to give artists and marketers exposure and create a space where women can express themselves and be comfortable. She said this would be her first solo exhibition.

“I’m excited to share spaces, network, connect with the art community and understand how that social scene works, how, as an artist, your position changed from not just viewing but also being viewed. This is a great platform to be part of and contribute to of this magnitude,” Ndlaleni said.

Founder and Creative Director of Among The Lilies, Mpumi Mayisa, said the initiative has grown in the last six years and is grateful to her family, friends and business partner for making supporting and helping her bring the version to life.

She said the Ode to the Woman event is more like a Women's Wonderland where creatives and businesswomen unite. Mayisa wanted to create an ideal world where women have a vibrant economy.

“It is crucial for women to have an active economy because they are the economic drivers. In the real world, there is participation between the two, but when you think about societies and by societal structures, the economy is held together by women.

“Whether it be a women-led household or a nuclear family with a mom and dad, sometimes you would find that the mom is the one that runs the economy, and so I think it was important to centralise the reality that sometimes gets erased by the greater society and bring it into one space, so that we can recognise it and appreciated, celebrated but most of all for our money behind,” Mayisa.

Mayisa’s co-owner and Operations Manager, Tshidi Mongalo, was responsible for hiring the staff to assist with the event. Not only are the exhibitors and markers women, but Mongalo also ensured to stick to the theme and hired an all-women’s operations team.

As an entrepreneur herself, she said she understood the challenges women in business faced and wanted their platform to be where women entrepreneurs are embraced.

“We have quite big goals as Among The Lillies. We want to build an organisation that will have a 360 approach to assisting female entrepreneurs in growing their businesses, companies that want to partner with organisations that we want to partner with that support women businesses, and this is just a step going forward,” she said.

Mayisa and Mongalo promised the audience an element of surprise. While the event is an all-women art exhibitor and marketer, it is not limited to female event-goers only. Men are also allowed to join the festivities to support these entrepreneurs.

Event tickets are sold at Quicket for R150. The event starts from 12 pm - 10 pm today (May 7, 2023), at Women's Jail in Constitution Hill.

The line-up includes DJs such MamThug, Maria McCloy, Congo Muffin, Womlambo, MaKhumalo and DormantYouth, and poetry from published poet Philile Nkabinde.

Founder and Creative Director of Among The Lilies, Mpumi Mayisa. Picture: Supplied