Ubuhle Ngaphaya Kwameva
Experience Ubuhle Ngaphaya Kwameva Virtual Gallery, where Siviwe James’ powerful collages and video works explore memory, trauma, and resilience in an accessible digital space.
Context
In February 2025, artist Siviwe James presented her debut solo exhibition Ubuhle Ngaphaya Kwameva at the INCCA Project Space. This body of work delved into memory, grief, and resilience, exploring how personal archives can generate new collective memories. Through digital collages and video works, James reimagined personal recollections as collective acts of storytelling, challenging how memory is reproduced, shared, and reinterpreted in both physical and digital spaces.
For James, this work was born out of lived experience. Returning home in 2020 as a 30-year-old widow with a 2-year-old, she confronted the absence of a “manual” for rebuilding her life. Through the exhibition, she embraced uncertainty as fertile ground, transforming tragedy into creative exploration. The result was a moving inquiry into how memory-making and art intersect to heal, reframe, and assert new futures.
At Sisanda Tech, we were inspired by James’ exhibition and asked ourselves: what happens to this work after it leaves the gallery walls? How can it continue to live, breathe, and reach audiences who could not attend the physical showing? These questions led us to develop a digital extension of the exhibition using Viverse, ensuring James’ work remained accessible, archived, and alive beyond its initial presentation.
Approach
Working with James, Sisanda Tech sought to create a sustainable digital home for Ubuhle Ngaphaya Kwameva.
Archiving & Preservation
– Collected and digitized the works that were originally presented as prints and video installations.
– Preserved the thematic integrity of the show, ensuring the emotional and narrative flow carried into the virtual gallery.
Digital Translation
– Leveraged Viverse, a platform for immersive 3D exhibitions, to create a gallery space that reflected the layered, collage-like qualities of James’ work.
– Designed the experience to be user-friendly and accessible globally, extending the exhibition’s reach to audiences beyond the INCCA space.
Ongoing Engagement
– Positioned the virtual gallery not just as an archive, but as a continuing conversation around James’ themes of memory, trauma, and healing.
– Built an interactive framework where fans and new audiences can revisit, re-experience, and reflect on the work over time.
Output
The Ubuhle Ngaphaya Kwameva Virtual Gallery launched as a digitally immersive exhibition, accessible worldwide.
Visitors experience:
– A reimagined archive – James’ collages and video works preserved in an interactive format that honors their original intent.
– Expanded accessibility – reaching audiences who could not attend the INCCA exhibition, including James’ fans, peers, and global art communities.
-A living platform – rather than being a one-time event, the work continues to spark dialogue about grief, memory, and resilience.
– Digital preservation of African art – showcasing how technology can safeguard, amplify, and extend the life of important cultural expressions.
By archiving and extending James’ exhibition into Viverse, Sisanda Tech ensured that Ubuhle Ngaphaya Kwameva would not only live on but also remain accessible as a resource for reflection, learning, and connection. This project demonstrates how digital innovation can sustain personal and cultural narratives, allowing artists like James to continue sharing their voices across time, space, and community boundaries.
Credit
Technology Partner
Sisanda Tech
Artist
Siviwe James