Dumile Feni
Dumile Feni | |
---|---|
Occupation | Artist |
Children | 1 |
Zwelidumile Geelboi Mgxaji Mhlaba "Dumile" Feni (May 21, 1942 – 1991) was a
Early life
Feni was born in the small
Career
Feni's work often tied to the period of Apartheid in South Africa.[3] He lived in self-imposed exile from 1968 to 1991 based between London, Los Angeles and New York.[4][5]
He moved to the United States in 1978. He was an artist in residence at the Institute of African Humanities in Los Angeles, at the University of California.[6][7]
The common man in present day South Africa is largely unaware of Dumile Feni's work and the Contemporary South African Art movement touts him as a 'Goya of Townships'. Dumile Feni represented much more than that. [8]
Documentary
In 2010, a documentary called Zwelidumile was released. It was created by South African filmmaker Ramadan Suleman.[9]
Personal life
Feni's first name, Zwelidumile, means "a person known all over the country."[10]
Feni has a daughter named Marriam Diale.[11]
Exhibitions
Solo exhibitions
- 1965: Transvaal Academy, Johannesburg, South Africa
- 1966: Durban Art Gallery, Durban, South Africa
- 1966: Gallery 101, Johannesburg, South Africa
- 1966: Johannesburg Civic Theatre, Johannesburg, South Africa
- 1966: Pretoria Art Museum, Pretoria, South Africa
- 1966: Republic Festival Exhibition, Pretoria, South Africa
- 1966: SA Breweries Art Prize Exhibition, toured South Africa
- 1966: Trans-Natal, Natal Society for Arts, Durban, South Africa
- 1967: Gallery 101, Johannesburg, South Africa
- 1967: Transvaal Academy, Johannesburg, South Africa
- 1968: Sketches from a Private Collection, Goodman Gallery
- 1969: Grosvenor Gallery, London, United Kingdom
- 1970: Exhibition from the Collection of Desmond Fisher, Goodman Gallery
- 1970: The 51 Club Winter Art Exhibition, Goodman Gallery
- 1975: South African Sculpture, Goodman Gallery
- 1981: Black Art Today, Jabulani Standard Bank, Soweto
- 1988: La Galleria, New York, NY
- 1989: Portrait of Nelson Mandela for the Pathfinder Mural, New York, NY
- 1990: Township Art from South Africa, Applecrest, New York, NY
- 1991: Standard Bank National Arts Festival, Grahamstown, South Africa
- 2010: Art on Paper, MOMO Art Gallery, South Africa
Group exhibitions
- 1966: Artists of Fame and Promise, Adler Fielding Galleries, Johannesburg, South Africa
- 1967: São Paulo Art Biennial, Brazil
- 1967: Sculpture South Africa, 1900: 1967, Adler Fielding Galleries, Johannesburg, South Africa
- 1969: Contemporary African Art, Camden Arts Centre, London, United Kingdom
- 1971: Gallery 101, Johannesburg, South Africa
- 1972: Gallery 101, Johannesburg, South Africa
- 1975: African Art from South Africa, Gallery 21, London, United Kingdom
- 1977: Contemporary African Art in South Africa, Rand Afrikaans University, Pretoria Art Museum, University of Orange Free State, William Hamphrey Art Gallery (University of Fort Hare)
- 1977: SANG (Cape Town Festival), Gallery 21, South Africa
- 1982: Art towards Social Development: an Exhibition of South African Art, National Museum and Art Gallery, Gaborone, Botswana
- 1983: United Nations Exhibition, Commemoration of Namibia Freedom Day, New York, NY
- 1987: Unlock Apartheid's Jails, conference on children under apartheid, with Bill Cosby and the American Committee of Africa, Hyatt Hotel, New York, NY
- 1988: Uhuru: an Exhibition of African American Art against Apartheid, City without Wall Gallery, Newark, NJ
- 1988: Voices from Exile (Seven South African Artists), Washington, DC; Los Angeles, CA; Houston, TX; Philadelphia, PA
- 2010: MOMO Art Gallery, South Africa
Awards
- 2003: Order of Ikhamanga in Gold, for excellence in the arts[12]
Selected works and publications
- Feni, Dumile, and Bruce Smith. Dumile: Artist in Exile, South Africa: Bruce Smith in association with Art on Paper, 2004. OCLC 57398581
References
- ^ "Dumile Feni". South African History Online. 23 December 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
- ^ Reuss, Sophia (29 September 2015). "Dumile Feni Biography". South African History Online. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
- ^ Jason, Stefanie (12 September 2014). "Dumile Feni's exhibition a timely take on being black". Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
- JSTOR 41330703.
- ^ "Bonhams : Dumile Feni-Mhlaba (Zwelidumile Mxgazi) (South African, 1942–1991) 'The Prisoner' 148cm (58 1/4in) high". www.bonhams.com. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
- ^ Carew, Douglas (26 January 2002). "Artists Luthili masks brought home after 33 years in exile". Weekend Argus. Archived from the original on 26 February 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2017 – via sahistory.org.za.
- ISBN 9780061343513.
- ^ "Dumile Feni an artist misunderstood".
- ^ Zvomuya, Percy (16 September 2011). "Known only by his absence". Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
- OCLC 82364701. Retrieved 8 February 2016.]
Catalog of a retrospective exhibition held at the Johannesburg Art Gallery, Jan. 31-Apr. 10, 2005, the Oliewenhuis Art Museum, May 17–June 17, 2005, and the South African National Gallery, Aug. 13–Nov. 4, 2005
[permanent dead link - ^ "Zwelidumile". Africalia Belgium. 2010. Archived from the original on 19 May 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
- Republic of South Africa. 2 December 2003. Archived from the originalon 4 April 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
Awarded to Dumile Feni (1939 -1991) for Exceptional achievement in the field of arts and contribution to the struggle against apartheid