London-based ceramics sculptor Xanthe Somers is an artist whose creative journey is deeply intertwined with her Zimbabwean heritage. With its vibrant glaze and bright cherries, her stoneware vessel, ‘Fruits of the Forefathers’, invites us to ask deeper questions about power, identity and Britain’s colonial history in Zimbabwe. This remarkable work has been recently acquired and will be displayed at the V&A East Storehouse when it opens to the public in 2025. In our conversation with Xanthe, we explore her work’s themes, inspiration and artistic process.
At first glance, we could notice that the fruit pieces were attached to the object, which was very distinctive. What does this cherry symbolise in your piece?
The cherry in that piece symbolises the enduring British influence on Zimbabwe. Growing up in Zimbabwe, I was surrounded by British cultural symbols, even though they didn’t reflect the reality of our environment. We read books about ‘Jack and Jill’ and celebrated Christmases with green imagery, which contrasted sharply with the arid Zimbabwean landscape, which was dusty and the brown-coloured grass, not green. All that kind of thing was so noticeable growing up that your idealised world was a British world. For colonial Zimbabweans or people with colonial heritage, or white Zimbabweans in general, it cemented the feeling of white supremacy or superiority, but for the majority of Zimbabweans, it was a dislocation from reality.
The cherry especially was this idea of Eurocentric identity-making in Zimbabwe. The hands that are picking in ‘Fruits of the Forefathers’ were referencing the British who came over to farm the land and natural resources and plant ideas on the land.
Your choice to create monumental vessels is intriguing. Where did the idea of scale and materiality in your sculpture come from?
Working on a large scale feels natural to me, and I think large and bold objects draw people in due to their vibrant appearance, which is essential because it reflects Zimbabwean aesthetics and values as well. When viewers see my pieces, they are initially captivated by their visual effect, which looks bright or happy. However, I hope it shifts in perception by making people start to see the undercurrents and the deeper questions of the story, which is not beautiful at all.
Could you share the process of crafting these vessels? How do you go about making them?
I create these vessels by hand using stoneware clay. My background is in Fine Art, and I’m mostly self-taught in ceramics. I don’t limit myself to traditional ceramics; instead, I focus on the concept I wish to convey. My work involves a dialogue between materials like plastic, granite, fabric and twine. I build the pieces slowly using coiled sausages of clay, a therapeutic process that takes about six weeks. The vessels go through multiple firings, often four or five times, to incorporate different layers and techniques.
I always called them my buddies in the studio because they are all my height, they are my friends, and I look after them every day.
You majored in printmaking during your university years. What prompted your transition to exploring new materials and media like ceramics?
When I came to London, I, like everyone else, needed a job to support myself. I was doing my master’s degree in Postcolonial Culture at the time, which I liked, and I did not find my job particularly fulfilling. That’s when I joined a ceramic studio, mainly for fun. It was a timing that made my ceramic politically involved as it was when I was thinking about what I was learning. They just kind of clicked, and it was also a good way for me to show my academic interest on top of the creative side.
You have a deep and ongoing engagement with postcolonial studies. Are there particular theorists or authors you’ve been reading recently?
I find African writers incredibly fascinating. it’s mostly novels by Zimbabwean authors that inspire me. Recently, NoViolet Bulawayo wrote an amazing book called “Glory,” a Zimbabwean take on “Animal Farm,” which was shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize. Exploring different perspectives through literature is incredibly inspiring, allowing me to see Zimbabwe, the global south, and Southern Africa through diverse lenses.
How often do you visit Zimbabwe, and do you use these trips as opportunities to find inspiration?
I try to visit Zimbabwe at least once a year. I still have lots of my family living there. It’s incredibly inspiring. Everywhere you look, for example, little posters on trees that people pin up to advertise their skills, like electricians or farmers. Living between two vastly different places each year helps you recognise and draw inspiration from the differences. It’s fascinating to see local artists there as well.
Materials like stretch canvas and paint aren’t available in Zimbabwe. So, they have to source from South Africa, which leads them to be creative with what they’ve got around them, often with recycled materials. This environment fosters dialogue, which is why their works are so powerful.
Is there a particular message you wouldn’t want your work to be viewed without? How should your work be catalogued?
I believe that context is essential but not overly detailed. The work should speak for itself to a certain extent.
Regarding my identity, it’s essential to acknowledge that I am a white Zimbabwean with a colonial history. I don’t want my heritage to be omitted.
Further Reading
Xanthe Somers Instagram
NoViolet Bulawayo, Glory, 2022
Chinua Achebe, “The African Trilogy”: Things Fall Apart (1958), No Longer at Ease (1960) and Arrow of God (1964) Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Purple Hibiscus, 2003