Vol. 3 : Breathe
Force of nature
Art meets nature at NIROX Sculpture Park, as muse and performance artist Manthe Ribane whimsically wanders through the remote landscape
Summer 2021

Creative Direction by Manthe Ribane Photography & Videography by Nkosinathi Khumalo and Sizwe Colbert from Uncap Productions
Make-Up by Lesedi Leketi
In 2019, Manthe directed arteBOTANICA, a platform where artists could come together to collaborate and create installations and performances across all disciplines throughout the NIROX Sculpture Park. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, reiterations of arteBOTANICA have not been able to take place, but Manthe’s energy, enthusiasm and creative spirit will not be suppressed.

Her latest project, Natura Co-lab, has recently opened. In her own words, Manthe says, ‘there is no limit to the scope of Natura Co-lab… from capsule collections to workshops; exhibitions to talks; photo studios to episodes in nature; silent meditation to sociable gatherings. [Natura Co-lab’s] palette is rich and the canvas is blank…’. Natura Co-lab resides in a newly-built, raw wood and glass structure in the water pavillion of NIROX, among the trees, grasslands, rolling lawns and waterways.


Manthe wears Natura Co-lab.
‘I sat under a tree and stood by the water. I lay on the grass, sat on a bench, leaned against a rock. I touched the sculptures, artworks and installations with my palms, my fingers, my feet, my head, my body. I studied their contours, colours, textures. I poked and tapped and stroked them. I shouted at them, laughed with them, cried when they cried. I spoke to them. I sat with them. I lost myself in them. And then I listened… and I am still listening…’
– Athol Williams, a poet and social philosopher, who spent three weeks in residency at NIROX

Between the diverse flora and fauna, upon the ancient earth and under limitless skies, Manthe moves to the rhythm of nature’s beat.

Manthe wears Mrs Keepa Studio.
To see more of Manthe’s work, follow her on Instagram (@manthe.ribane), or take a look at her latest initiative, Natura Co-lab (@natura_colab).
To see more the NIROX Sculpture Park visit their website or follow them on Instagram (@niroxfoundation)