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Esther Mahlangu: how the famous South African artist keeps her Ndebele culture alive

Esther Mahlangu: how the famous South African artist keeps her Ndebele culture alive

ESTHER Mahlangu is having a retrospective of her world-famous art in Cape Town. Now 88, the South African visual artist is best known for her colourful large-scale murals in the traditional patterns and colours of the Ndebele people of South Africa – once famously displayed on a BMW as part of a global advertising campaign. But how is she regarded by her people and what does her work represent? We asked Sifiso Ndlovu, an expert in the art and identity of the Ndebele people, to tell us more. Who is Esther Mahlangu? Esther Nostokana Mahlangu was born on 11 November…
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Africans in World War 1: artist William Kentridge’s epic theatre production restores forgotten histories

Africans in World War 1: artist William Kentridge’s epic theatre production restores forgotten histories

SOUTH African artist William Kentridge became world famous for his charcoal drawings and hand-drawn animated films, but his work continued to grow in scope and he began staging performances. Today he also creates operas and collaborative stage productions combining numerous art forms. William Kentridge. Stella Olivier One of his largest productions to date, The Head & The Load, tells the forgotten stories of Africans in World War 1, who served mostly as porters for European armies on the continent. The production was first performed in London in 2018; its South African premiere was delayed by three years because of the…
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Tracey Rose, renegade South African artist: understanding her 30 years of outrage

Tracey Rose, renegade South African artist: understanding her 30 years of outrage

WHEN an artist is welcomed into the monumental interiors of a structure such as the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa for a retrospective of their work, it suggests the levels of recognition they enjoy. The gallery, crafted from old dockyard silos in Cape Town, South Africa, opened in 2017. It is built to have such a pedigree; a solid foundation for African artists to gain global visibility and scrutiny. Author SANYA OSHA, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Humanities in Africa, University of Cape Town Tracey Rose is a South African multimedia artist whose practice spans performance, film and video…
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