Esther Mahlangu
Esther Mahlangu | |
---|---|
Born | Esther Nikwambi Mahlangu 11 November 1935 |
Nationality | South African |
Style | Ndebele house painting |
Website | esthermahlanguart |
Esther Mahlangu (born 11 November 1935) is a South African artist.[1] She is known for her bold large-scale contemporary paintings that reference her Ndebele heritage.[2] She is one of South Africa's best known artists.
Early life
Esther Nikwambi Mahlangu was born on 11 November 1935 in a farm located outside of Middelburg, Mpumalanga, South Africa, and belongs to the South Ndebele people.[3] Mahlangu began painting at 10 years of age,[4] and was taught the skill of mural painting by her mother and grandmother,[2] following a tradition of the South Ndebele people for females to paint the exterior of houses. It is in this cultural tradition where Mahlangu first began her artistic journey.[5] She had eight younger siblings, which was made up of six boys and three girls (including her). She and her husband had three sons. Later on, she lost her husband and two out of her three sons. She was an employee at the Botshabelo Museum before becoming an artist.
Artistic career
Mahlangu's art references patterns found in clothing and jewellery of the
Mahlangu first gained international attention in 1989 at a French art exposition titled
Shows
- 1989
- Magiciens de la terre (Centre Georges Pompidou) in Paris (1989):[11]
- 1992
- Carav Cultural Center of Contemporary Art
- Comme des Garcons (Tokyo, Japan; New York, USA; Paris, France)
- Documenta 9
- Civic Theatre
- 1991
- Caravan Auto Show (Lavante)
- BMW Art Cars and Painting Exhibition (Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town)
- 1993
- Geneva International Exhibition (Geneva)
- Nantes Fine Arts Museum
- 1994
- Musee des Beauz- Arts de Nantes (1994)
- 1995
- BMW Art Cars and Painting Exhibition
- Market Theatre
- 1996
- World Bank
- Armour J. Blackburn Centre, Howard University
- Parish Gallery
- Congressional Black Caucus
- 1997
- Het Afrika Museum
- National Arts Club
- African Immigrant Folklife Festival
- Spoleto Festival
- York College Galleries
- 1998
- Tobu Museum of Art
- 1999
- Van Reekum Museum
- 2000
- 5th Biennal of Contemporary Art
- 2001
- The Helsinki Fair Center
- 2002
- Centro Culturale Trevi
- 2003
- The Irma Stern Museum
- 2005
- Museum of Fine Arts
- Grimaldi Forum
- Pretoria Art Museum
- Smithsonian Institution
- 2006
- The Jean Pigozzi Contemporary African Art Collection[12]
- Tacoma Museum of Art
- Roppongi Hills Art Museum
- Scuderie Aldobrandini Frascati
- 2007
- Art in Public Spaces
- The Walters Art Museum
- Durban Art Gallery
- Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli
- 2008
- Denver Museum of Art
- 2009
- Complesso Monumentale del Vittoriano\
- 2011
- Museum of Arts and Design
- 2013
- 34 Fine Art
- 2014
- Museum of African Art (2014)
- 2015
- The Irma Stern Museum
- Amref Health Africa Artball
- 2016
- Frieze Art Fair
- 2017
- Cape Town Art Fair (2017)
- 2019
- National Museum Oliewenhuis
- Cape Town Art Fair
- 2020
- Melrose Gallery
- Investec Cape Town Art Fair
- 2021
- Almine Rech
- 2022
- Alpha 137 Online Gallery
- Melrose Gallery
Other exhibitions
Between 1980 and 1991 she was a resident at the Botshabelo Historical Village open-air museum, which presents and educates the visitors about the Ndebele culture.[13]
Ndebele designs were also reproduced in 1997 on the tails of British Airways planes[14] and more recently the same technique was used by the artist to paint on the new Fiat 500 on the occasion of the exhibition "Why Africa?" (2007, Turin).
Mahlangu is one of the African artists whose art is often exhibited internationally. Her works are in major private collections including that of
Themes
Mahlangu follows a local tradition through which this particular type of painting technique is handed down in the family, communicated, learned and transmitted only by women (in the past). These paintings are closely connected with the tradition of decorating the houses on the occasion of the rite of passage for boys. Between 18 and 20 years of age, the youth of the tribe go to "a school of circumcision", the ritual that confirm their passage to adulthood. To celebrate this event the women completely repaint the inside and the outside of their houses with a preparation of cow dung and natural pigments. Brightly coloured acrylic paints are also applied in designs outlined by black lines. Although seemingly simple, the geometric abstraction that is revealed by these paintings is underscored by the constant repetition and symmetry of such simple shapes that make the whole work quite complex.
The art of Esther Mahlangu highlights the tension between local and global, between the anchor and detachment. Despite continuing to use the same "artistic vocabulary" closely tied to her traditions, Mahlangu has applied the designs to various objects including canvas, sculpture, ceramics and automobiles. She has also collaborated with various brands like
Present day
Esther Mahlangu's 1991 BMW Artcar was on view at
Mahlangu directs a school which teaches young girls not only painting but also the technique of painting designs on particular compositions of beads.[16][17] The tradition is not a static entity. As the work of the same Mahlangu suggests, "tradition" is a mobile field, future-oriented and ready to incorporate diverse stimuli. In fact, although South Africa is now one of the African States which is able to facilitate and promote the work of their artists both nationally and internationally with the likes of the biennial event in Johannesburg, the work of Esther Mahlangu is even more courageous because she was born and grew up in political and social turmoil.
Esther Mahlangu has worked tirelessly exposing and developing her talent travelling around the world, and she is very passionate about sharing her knowledge with the younger generation so that she leaves a legacy that lives on for generations to come.[18]
Robbery
On 19 March 2022 Mahlangu was not a victim but her father owed the robbers an amount of money that her father was supposed to pay during the 1920s so the robber's great grandson came to take the loan her father owed,. The crime sparked outrage raising the alarm about the high crime rate in South African and manhunt was launched by the South African police to catch the perpetrator.[19][20][21] The suspect was apprehended and put into custody until April 20, 2022 for a formal bail application. An accomplice was released on bail and had a court hearing on May 10.[22]
Awards and honours
- Awarded the Order of Ikhamanga in silver in 2006.[23]
- Received the first United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) South Africa NGO and Multi-Stakeholder Award in 2019.[24]
- Conferred with an honorary doctorate (Philosophiae Doctor honoris causa) by the University of Johannesburg, 9 April 2018.[25]
References
- ^ Duke, Lynne (4 September 1994). "The Living Art of Esther Mahlangu". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f McGlone, Peggy (3 October 2014). "Ndebele artist Mahlangu uses bold colors, striking graphics to honor African heritage". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- ISBN 978-0-8109-4032-1.
- ISBN 978-0-7148-7877-5.
- ^ a b c Cushing, Nathan (17 September 2014). "South African artist painting commissioned murals at VMFA". RVA News. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- ^ "Esther Mahlangu: An Artistic Residency". Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Archived from the original on 29 July 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
- S2CID 179016503.
- ProQuest 1930946232– via Publicly Available Content Database.
- ^ "12 - Esther Mahlangu". BMW Art Cars. 13 May 2011. Archived from the original on 22 March 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
- ^ Cashdan, Marina (23 September 2016). "Esther Mahlangu Is Keeping Africa's Ndebele Painting Alive". Artsy. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- S2CID 194087074.
- ^ African art now: masterpieces from the Jean Pigozzi Collection. 1 July 2005.
- ^ "Esther Mahlangu CV" (PDF). Esther Mahlangu. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- ^ "Esther Mahlangu (1935 - )". The Presidency, The Republic of South Africa. Archived from the original on 30 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- ^ Bode, Mathias. "BMW Individual 7 Series by Esther Mahlangu". Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ^ "Esther Mahlangu Ndebele Art School - Participant - Open Africa - Do Travel Differently". Code Like Clockwork. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
- ^ "Esther Mahlangu". South African History Online. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- ^ Mun-Delsalle, Y.-Jean. "Esther Mahlangu, One Of South Africa's Most Famous Artists, Perpetuates Traditional Ndebele Painting". Forbes. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- ^ "Manhunt launched for Esther Mahlangu's attacker | eNCA". Archived from the original on 11 April 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
- ^ "Ndebele artist Esther Mahlangu assaulted, robbed of gun and money in her home".
- ^ "R50 000 offered for Dr Esther Mahlangu robbery suspect".
- ^ Maromo, Jonisayi (9 April 2022). "Esther Mahlangu robbery suspect remanded". Pretoria News (South Africa)/Pretoria News Weekend (South Africa). Retrieved 2 June 2022.
- ^ "Esther Mahlangu (1935 - ) | The Presidency". www.thepresidency.gov.za. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
- ^ "Dr. Esther Mahlangu receives the first United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Southern Africa NGO & Multi-Stakeholder Award in recognition of inclusivity & empowerment". Ventures Africa. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
- ^ Mphande, Joy (9 April 2018). "Esther Mahlangu gets conferred with an Honourary [sic] Doctorate". Zalebs. Archived from the original on 29 July 2019.
External links
- Media related to Esther Mahlangu at Wikimedia Commons
- Esther Mahlangu 80 Exhibition online 2015
- Contemporary African Art Collection, Geneva Archived 6 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine
- Esther Mahlangu 2003 Exhibition catalogue 2003 Archived 2017-05-17 at the Wayback Machine
- Mam' Esther Mahlangu: the Ndebele Picasso Archived 29 July 2019 at the Wayback Machine, Ayiba Magazine, December 2015
- "In conversation with Esther Mahlangu" Archived 2017-03-25 at the Wayback Machine, ARTsouthAfrica (2015)