At just 22, Kenako Madalitso Simelane is already learning that taking up space in the creative industry can also mean creating space for others.
The Swazi curator and creative project coordinator is the founder of The Art Nursery, an 11-month-old creative organisation focused on nurturing creatives through exhibitions, cultural programming and community-driven initiatives.
Her latest international project, ‘The Girls Are Alright’, brought that vision into life at the recently refurbished, Artistry venue in Sandton, Johannesburg on the 6th August, as part of a Women’s Month programme celebrating women in art, music, curatorship and wine.
The group exhibition, presented by Art and Melody, was curated by Simelane alongside Naledi Modupi and Abongile Matintela, with a programme that brought together art, music and slow intentional conversation.
For Simelane, the opportunity represents more than another exhibition on her growing portfolio. It is part of a journey she has built largely through relationships, showing up in spaces that could expose her to new ideas and people.
“I’ve definitely realised that showing up in the right spaces has contributed to my journey,” she attests.
Her connection to South Africa in particular did not come through family ties. Instead, she describes years of attending festivals, music shows and other events, deliberately placing herself in environments she believed could teach her something or bring her closer to the creative life she envisioned.
“Representing Eswatini wherever I go is also very important to me,”
Kenako’s journey into the creative sector was also shaped by circumstance. After high school, she had hoped to study at the African Film and Drama Academy (AFDA), but her parents could not afford the fees.
Rather than abandoning her ambitions, she chose another route, entering the creative industry directly and pursuing her interests through experience.
Her time working at Yini Loku and being part of the Vukubone Soundlab, she says, played an important role in changing her mindset and helping her think more deliberately about her career.
Those connections have continued to shape her trajectory.
She credits people she encountered along the way, including Sizo Hlophe, whom she identifies as one of the first people who opened a meaningful door for her, and the Yini Loku community that followed.
Simelane also looks to women who have already established themselves in the arts, naming Nandi Dlepu, also known as Mamakashaka, as a major inspiration and mentor. Among others, she points to curator Ingrid LaFleur of Detroit and Makgati Molebatsi, who was project lead for the South African pavilion at the 2024 Venice Biennale.
These relationships reflect a philosophy that is increasingly visible in her own work: growth is not only about occupying a seat and never wanting to leave, but about creating more seats.
Through The Art Nursery, Simelane has already begun doing this. Its first major programme, Roots & Rhythm, was held in Manzini in October last year as a music, culture and business workshop supported by ESWACOS.
She later expanded into visual arts with ‘Indoda Must’, a pop-up gallery at Victoria Yards in Johannesburg, where male artists explored masculinity, identity and lived experience through contemporary art in recognition of Men’s Mental Health Month. The project was supported through a partnership with Makers Valley Partnership.
Her practice is rooted in storytelling, identity and creating platforms where artists can engage with social issues through contemporary art.
For Simelane, maintaining connections beyond Eswatini is partly about being intentional, but also about allowing herself to recognise the people and opportunities that align with her purpose.
“I see God in people and gravitate in that direction,” she says, describing a growing awareness of the relationships that have shaped her journey.
As The Art Nursery moves beyond its first year, Simelane’s work suggests that taking up space does not necessarily require waiting to be invited into established rooms, but grasping all chances to connect and creating fruitful friendships.
