Collection Details

Name/TitleCu-vun-dar

About this objectArtist Statement
'Eleven terracotta tablets layered with words and images are dispersed on a wall. Marks are made via engraving, glazing and painting. These 'palimpsests' are attempts at translating the Govender surname into Tamil.

There are 1.5 million people of South Asian origin in South Africa. Amongst them one of the most popular surnames is Govender. However, this name cannot be written in Tamil because it was given to South Asian indentured labourers arriving in Durban in the late 1800s by the British.

Even though there are 247 letters in the Tamil alphabet, no combination of these letters can exactly write the name Govender. This work is an attempt at connecting with a source culture, a mother tongue, or a homeland, all the while knowing that these attempts are in vain.

Cobalt is one of the most popular materials in ceramic glazes. Centuries ago, Chinese cobalt-glazed porcelain was exported to Europe where this exported ‘Kraak-ware’ was extremely desirable. Eventually Dutch potters produced more affordable earthenware versions of ‘Kraak-ware.’ Labelled ‘Delft Blauw’ these items were exported to various Dutch colonies, including South Africa, where they were seen as symbols of European sophistication. Studying the history of cobalt reveals ongoing interactions between cultures, showing how something iconic of a specific nation is sometimes from multiple places and times.

Keroshin is an interdisciplinary artist working on unceded Gadigal land. His work explores notions of culture and identity being in a constant state of change, and not from a single time and place. Keroshin often works with ancient techniques like indigo dyeing and hand-built ceramics, overlaying these with images and text from family archives via contemporary technologies like digital embroidery and laser engraving.

MakerGovender, Keroshin

Maker RoleArtist

Date Made2024

Medium and MaterialsTerracotta, cobalt glaze, cobalt carbonate, underglaze, paint, acrylic medium, gold lustre

Place MadeGadigal Country

TechniqueModelled

Measurementsh 110 x w 150 x d 11 mm

Subject and Association KeywordsContemporary art

Named CollectionBlacktown City Art Collection

Credit Line© Keroshin Govender
Acquired 2025, Blacktown City Art Prize exhibition
Blacktown City Art Collection
Photo: silversalt Photography

Object TypeCeramic

Object numberBCC GER 001