What’s the link between arabesque and acrylics, percussion and paper? Ask artist Tamara Osso. She’s on a quest to meld art and dance into something dynamic, distinctive and totally irresistible.
Tamara’s take on performance art might sound fresh and exciting but, in truth, it’s simply a continuation of the journey she’s been following for years. “In my childhood, it was all about dance,” she explains. “I got through school by looking forward to my ballet classes. All I wanted was to be on stage.”
Her dream came true, albeit after following a somewhat roundabout path. After finding herself broke in London, she returned to South Africa to study music and dance, then changed her focus to contemporary dance after joining the FreeFlight Dance Company. This was followed by a stint touring the world with grand musicals like Phantom of the Opera, which was every inch as thrilling as she imagined. But, increasingly, she found herself sitting backstage between breaks with a pencil in her hand, sketching the performers around her. “I realised that drawing was my way of processing my feelings, making sense of my day – but I didn’t know that’s what I was doing until the images came out. That’s when I came to understand that although my life had always been about dance, I now wanted to focus on art.”
It was back to South Africa, this time to complete her degree in Fine Art at WITS. She never lost her love of dance, though: “In a sense, both disciplines are about embodiment – finding your space in your body, and manipulating a medium. In art, it’s your canvas; in dance, it’s the floor.”
It was only when she started doing her Masters that she began to explore the commonalities she experienced, concentrating on Performing Mediums. But, she explains, her focus got slightly side tracked after the birth of her second son, whose epilepsy came to wield a significant influence over her works. Once again, art became about making sense of the world around her … this time, to help her understand how his disorder affected him and how she could find a way to help him. Her world had changed drastically, as her primary concern was finding a way to end his seizures – which she did, flying to the UK for a surgery to treat his condition and spending six months there to complete rehabilitation.
The family had only recently returned to South Africa when lockdown was declared – but what was for some an ordeal was, in Tamara’s experience, “glorious. For the first time in four years, we were living without anxiety around my son’s epilepsy,” she says. Once again, her feelings found their way into her art, which she describes as a celebration of life and her son’s recovery, “all jewel colours – like confetti or a party popper that had just been released”.
It also became a time of learning. Although Tamara was relishing her new equilibrium, she was also keenly aware of the constraints on her movement – and since movement is an intrinsic part of her life, she was starting to struggle. “I came to see how where I am and how I move influence the work I produce. I had a yearning to engage, connect, play.”
And so Tamara found herself back in a dance studio as soon as she was able – this time, at Moving Into Dance. This time, her intention wasn’t only to move, but consider how other people move, too, and to think about why and how we move together. In return for teaching ballet and body conditioning, she spent time with the studio’s Afro-fusion dancers, recording their movements in charcoal, but not in the usual way – rather than drawing the dancers, she laid down paper for them to dance on so that every stamp of a foot, every swish of a toe, created its own mark.
The resulting works culminated in a series of ‘performance drawings’ recently displayed at David Krut Projects. She is particularly proud of the exhibition, she says, because it wasn’t just about her – rather, the art was created in community, and is a real representation of the chaos and beauty that is Joburg.
It’s also given rise to some exciting developments. Through her work with Moving into Dance, Tamara conducted on a series of interviews with the company’s founder, Sylvia Glasser, and is considering using her learnings to embark on a PhD focused on the use of art as a therapeutic tool, as well as a vehicle that can activate communities. She has also become affiliated with Lefika La Phodosi a counselling community centre that offers art therapy for children from the inner city.
What’s more, her work with Moving into Dance earned Tamara a scholarship in Italy from the European Cultural Academy, to develop new ideas for her community project. Here, she was struck by a new inspiration. “Being confronted by my Italian heritage, I created a performance piece based on my memory of making gnocchi with my grandmother,” she relates. She has since been invited to perform the piece, titled Soffritto, at the European Cultural Centre next year, and is currently fundraising to make this dream come true.
In the meantime, she keeps searching for those vital connections – both in her work, and between the people she works with. “I think we have something really special in South Africa. We are tolerant of each other in a way that’s quite rare elsewhere in the world, and we have a cross-cultural dynamic you simply won’t find anywhere else.”
Details: osso.co.za, follow @tamaraosso on social media
Tamara’s top tips for awakening your creative spirit
- Don’t be afraid. Back yourself.
- Collect with your eyes. Take note of the things that interest you. Draw them, photograph them or write about them.
- Take it slow. First learn, then practice and only later, execute.
- Be aware of your body in space – walk, meditate, dance! Anything that situates you into your environment.
- Remember kindness wins, so consider your community and share your interests.
- Tamara invites people from her community to Open Studio Art classes @that.space in Morningside on a Monday from 6pm to 9pm, Thursday 9am to noon and 6pm to 9pm. Bookings essential! Details: thatspace.co.za
- Lefika Lo Phodiso welcomes assistance from volunteers as well as donations of stationery and art materials to support inner city kids through art therapy. Details: lefikalaphodiso.co.za
- Take an Afro-fusion contemporary at Moving into Dance. Details: Moving into Dance on Facebook.
- Tamara’s works are available for sales from David Krut Projects. Details: davidkrutprojects.com/artists/67611/tamara-osso
Text: LISA WITEPSKI • Photographer: Nicole Moore. Details: nicolemoorephotography.co.za • Make-up: Makeup by Ryno, 071-688-0242. • Hair: Natalie Kieser, 076-335-5477. • Accessories: guillotine with Kirsten Goss and Au Terra.
