Her first experience of a live Jazz performance was when her brother in law took her to Kippies, Johannesburg, while she was a student in Swaziland. At high school, she listened to recordings of Michael Franks, Andreas Vollenweider and Keiko Matsui. Her father would hang out with legendary pianist Abdullah Ibrahim in Switzerland. She thoroughly enjoyed the sounds of Afro-Jazz ensemble Sakhile.

Artist Bongi Bengu is an alchemist and transformer. “My art is about my journey of transformation”, she told Jazz It Out. She uses charcoal, pastel, soil, leaves, collage, and acrylic to create beauty. “As I transform, my art also transforms”, she added. Recently she incorporated tarot alchemy, a potent way of connecting to one’s destiny. This creative was born in Eshowe, KwaZulu-Natal, grew up in Geneva, Switzerland and studied art in Washington DC. Her father Professor Sibusiso Bengu had a deep love for choral music.

Artist Bongi Bengu. Picture by Rupert De Beer

She discovered and fell in love with Jazz at high school. While studying at Waterford Kamhlaba in Swaziland, her brother in law took her to a live performance at the now defunct Kippies. “There was no turning back after that experience”, she recalls. Bongi also discovered old cassettes from her father’s music collection when he was a PhD student. “That is the music that always reminded you of home when you were in exile missing home”, she added. While living in Switzerland, she caught some notes of Miles Davis Live at the Montreaux Jazz Festival.

Her decision to pursue art was influenced by a conversation she had with prominent South African artists who later became her colleagues at the Bagfactory Studios in Newtown. What also served as a motivation was receiving a distinction from an assignment she submitted. This became a real turning point which made her decide to follow the path of fine arts. She enrolled at Mount Vernon College, in Washington DC where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree, and later obtained a Masters Degree in Fine Arts from the University of Cape Town (UCT).

Bongi’s painting titled “Ode to Janis”

One of the live performances she attended while studying in Washington DC was by Japanese saxophonist Sadao Watanabe at Blues Alley Jazz Club. She still has vivid memories of a performance by Senegalese musician Youssou N’Ddou in Cape while studying at UCT. Bongi enjoys playing Jazz in the background while creating her artwork. “Somehow it helps me focus and go deeper into the alchemy of creating”, she said. Her definition of Jazz is improvisational soul-weather, a painter’s balm.

The work she is passionate about has led to her participation in numerous international residencies and workshops. “There workshops are always intense”, she admitted. In her profession, they refer to them as ‘pressure cookers’. Artist residencies often provide a platform for exchange of musical knowledge. She recalls subscribing to a Jazz library in Switzerland where one could borrow Jazz CD’s. Bongi usually sells her artwork through Gallery Art exhibitions and by word of mount. “During Covid, I learnt to share my paintings on social media platforms Facebook and Instagram”, she said.

Bongi’s painting titled “The World”

She misses the days of going to a physical music store which was like ‘visiting a magical treasure hunt and the most beautiful escape from the mundane world’. Through her love for Jazz, she has made friendships where knowledge of music is exchanged on a weekly basis. “When I hear a gem, I have share it with someone else”, she confessed. Her list of favourite musicians includes Louis Moholo, Herbie Tsoaeli, Abdullah Ibrahim, Pharoah Sanders, Abbey Lincoln, Miles Davis and Dave Holland.

Bongi has read several Jazz books such as “Lady Sings The Blues”, an autobiography of Billie Holiday which she co-wrote with William Duffy, “Sof’town Blues” written by Jürgen Schadenberg and Anthony Sampson, and “Jazz Ladies” by Stephane Koechlin. “My hobbies are dancing, hiking, rebounding and listening to Jazz”, she concluded. Her Facebook account is Bongi Bengu Art. Follow her on Instagram @bongibenguart and Bongi Bengu on LinkedIn. You can see her work on websites www.bongibengu.co.za , www.art.co.za/bongibengu and https://fineartamerica.com/bongibengu.