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There is always a better tomorrow by Speelman Mahlangu
"There is always a better tomorrow" by artist Speelman Mahlangu.
Speelman Mahlangu is the artist I chose to represent South Africa in my All 55 African Countries art project. South Africa is an amazing country with thousands of artist of all ages, backgrounds, types and for all kinds of tastes. Despite the problems still in the country, judging from the artwork one can find online, South Africa is an active, creative country, possible going through a stage of great change, progress and creativity. The birth of a new nation, really.
Biography
Speelman Mahlangu was born in 1958 in Johannesburg, South Africa. An exceptional painter as a child, Mahlangu was determined to beat the odds stacked against a young, black artist in apartheid-era South Africa. He set off on a volatile and emotional artistic journey that evolved into one of the most astounding success stories in contemporary South Africa. A series of critically acclaimed international shows in the 1990s helped Mahlangu establish himself as not only a major African talent, but a major world talent as well.
Mahlangu's imagery is uniquely African. He had long been interested in South Africa's "homecoming" to the African continent and consequently drew from the timeless realm of southern African icons and traditional Ndebele life. He said, "I work and draw on ancient mythology and African folklore to create an end product which focuses on communication rather than confrontation. My paintings incorporate symbols and patterns from Ndebele murals and Egyptian hieroglyphics. They often describe things that one cannot see but can only feel. My themes include an exploration of spiritual and mythical ideas of the world to come. The role of music in African life and traditional rituals, African pots, human figures, calabashes and drums emerge from semi abstract shapes and take form on canvas... a dream of dreaming us."
Mahlangu passed away in November 2004. He had exhibited extensively in South Africa and internationally for twenty years. In 1995, he was commissioned to paint the mural that welcomes travelers to South Africa's Johannesburg International Airport. From 1996 onwards, he personally exhibited in Vancouver, Toronto and New York at shows dedicated to contemporary Africa. He has been widely regarded by art critics and fellow artists as the leading painter of Ndebele images - his own ethnic identity. He had also taken part in acclaimed group exhibitions in London, Paris and Berlin, and his work stands in the permanent collection of The Frankfurt Museum of Ethnology. Zuva Gallery is proud to have had a long association with this major world talent from South Africa.
(info from the Zuva Gallery)
To see how rich is South African art, the net traveller only need to visit some art galleries:
Recent acquisitions of the Everard Read Gallery
The V Gallery
Carmel Art Gallery