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VukuvukuPhila!

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We are VukuvukuPhila! an artist duo (Philiswa Lila and Ivukuvuku) based in South Africa whose collaborative practice engages with themes of memory, healing, and social transformation. Our work is a dual gesture of pouring healing: the release of inherited traumas-rooted in violence, environmental loss, and socio-political displacement-and the reception of restorative energies from nature, community, and receiving healing is both cathartic and transformative, allowing us to empty ourselves of intense emotions while simultaneously embracing the healing energies that permeate our existence. Our interest stems from shared belief that healing is deeply intertwined with environmental and social justice. The wounds we carry as individuals and communities are often reflections of the wounds inflicted on the land. We understand the earth not only as material terrain but as a living archive of histories, stories, and pain. Our practice seeks to honor the reciprocity between human and non-human worlds, and to create work that invites collective grieving, remembering, and renewal.

Collaborative Performances and Installation

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Embo Gathering Healing, 2025, performance still. Into The Open, Kurhlhaus, Berlin, Germany

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Gathering Healing, 2024, performance still, Frankfurt Moves!, Germany

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Ekhaya: Kept Silence, 2024, performance still, Melrose Gallery. Johannesburg. South Africa

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Reflections of Reflected Self, 2023, performance still, The GendV Project & University of Johannesburg. South African

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ENKUNDLENI/pouring healing, 2022, performance still. Melrose Gallery, Johannesburg. South Africa

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A Bed Called Home: Shared Pain and Healing, 2022, performance still, Melrose Gallery, Johannesburg. South Africa

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