27/08/2026
Local artist Matthew Koster produced this dynamic work that brings together multiple heritage icons from Mpumalanga Province. At its centre is the Lydenburg head, one of the province's most enigmatic archaeological finds. It is one of seven terracotta heads dating to approximately AD 500. This striking face, adorned with a cow figurine and decorative motifs recalling ceramic designs, is accompanied below by similar vessels wrapped in DNA double helixes, symbolising the growing role of archaeological science in studying the past.
Above the Lydenburg head are representations of Bokoni's stone-walled residential structures, which occur across the western reached of Mpumalanga. Dry-packed stone walls extend across the painting, carrying red-painted rock-art images, while stone tools, the oldest archaeological materials, lie at the base of the head between the pots. In the swirling blues below are archaeological tools: the instruments through which the past is uncovered and interpreted.
The movement in the lower part of the painting evokes water and the river channels that connected people, places, and trade wealth between the coast and the interior.
Through its thoughtful layering of landscapes, objects, and methods, Koster's work brings together the central theme of the ASAPA 2026 conference: Between past and present: African Archaeology and its relevance today.
