The studio

Jabu Nene

Jabu Nene began painting ceramics in 1991, when she was fifteen. Her painting became known for its intricate zig-zags, chevrons and florets, for fur, feathers and fish scales, and for the sgraffito lines she scratches into the paint with a sharp wire.

Her work was honored at the Korean Biennale, a museum in Basel bought two of her riders, and her painted elephant vase represented South African design at Art Basel in Miami in 2014. She has designed for Hermès scarves, and Cole & Son named a wallpaper Jabu in her honor.

Today she leads Love Art Ceramic, the studio that began in one room of her daughter Zinhle's house. Winnie, Minenhle and Zinhle Nene paint alongside her, with Swelihle Khanyeza and Mandla Ngwenya, and the sculptors Nathi Msomi, Sfiso Mokoena and Sibusiso Ndaba. When Ed visited this year, Jabu stood up at the community lunch and spoke about what fair wages had meant for her family.