Xanthe Somers

Xanthe Somers is a contemporary ceramicist whose large-scale, vibrant works carry barbed social and political critiques. Born in 1992 in Harare, Zimbabwe, Somers studied Fine Art (Hons) at the University of Cape Town and received her MA in Postcolonial Culture and Global Policy from Goldsmiths, University of London in 2020.

The bodies of Somers’ intricate pieces are hand-coiled in the traditional way and then disrupted – their surfaces punctured, woven or adorned with meticulously shaped and painted details. Her creations evoke a sense of play, combining political commentary and hyperornamentation to draw attention to overconsumption, cheap labour and the impact of environmental-racist practices on the Global South.

Somers incorporates a broad range of visual elements into her work, including traditional Zimbabwean crafts such as weaving and soap stone sculpture, found objects, gold lustre glaze, sculpted flowers and identifiable brand emblems. Upon closer examination of the inscriptions on the pieces and their thought-provoking titles – such as Like Stale Bread After a Hard Day’s Work – the viewer is prompted into analytic contemplation.

Presented collectively, Somers’ vessel-sculptures engage in a dialogue that explores “the colonial ghosts and systematic repressions still apparent in society,” she explains. She is interested in challenging prevailing heteronormative ideas associated with beauty and refinement found in everyday, functional objects. “We create utilitarian objects to serve us, but ultimately these objects tend to outlive us,” she says. “These objects are not neutral, they carry within them the ideology in which they were created, and this legacy is not silent. These objects have an active and persuasive influence in shaping our visual reality.”

Somers has held four solo exhibitions: Rancid at Galerie Revel in Bordeaux, France (2022); A Vocabulary for Ghosts at First Floor Gallery Harare, Zimbabwe (2021); Hole Not Whole at Fusion Art Gallery, Turin, Italy (2016); and The Intimacy of Objects at The Corridor, Harare (2016). Most recently, Southern Guild presented her work at Untitled Art fair in Miami in 2022 and 2023. She has also shown at AKAA Paris, Collectable Art Fair in Brussels and Collect Art Fair in London, where she is currently based. In 2023 Somers’ work was acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum (London). She was named the winner of the annual ANNA Award presented by Latitudes in 2024.

Visit Xanthe Somers’s website and Instagram page.