Tandekile Mkize is a conceptual artist from Cape Town South Africa. Thug Alchemy is a creative house that produces content that exposes their limitlessness by stripping away the conditions of the human existence to encourage individuals to allow their special nature to shine through. The work Mkize creates explores black and queer identities and speaks of the complexities and diversity within these communities. Mkize often makes use of his own body as the subject in my work in order to cut the distance between himself and the audience so he can best bring the message across.
“We are interested in the process of alchemy; changing any base metal into gold. This is called transmutation. The film itself is about the transmutation of the soul changing from one form of being to another. These fluid shifts in and out of consciousness and stepping into our magnificence. The film aims to inspire individuals to uncover their gold and share it with the world in order to create a world that respects and loves the individual.
Our aim is to shift the flow and create new stories through the creation of new worlds that offer different perspectives. We want to especially empower young black minds to believe that they can be all that they want to be through representation that highlights our beauty and our glory.”
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