Esther Mahlangu

Ndebele Abstract, 2009, Ndebele, Serigraphy, African Art

2009

Esther Mahlangu is a South African artist from the Ndebele nation. She learned mural painting from her mother and grandmother at a young age, following the Ndebele cultural tradition of women painting the exteriors of buildings in their communities as an expression of identity. Her paintings reflect the Ndebele culture with both their bold, vibrant colors and geometric patterns, which are often influenced by Ndebele clothing and jewelry designs. A particularly fascinating component of Mahlangu's artistic practice is her ability to create precise geometric lines on a large scale without any preparatory studies or guides. She often paints with chicken feathers, per Ndebele custom. Mahlangu is interested in preserving her cultural tradition and teaches art to children in Weltevrede, a town in Mpumalanga Province, to this day. She became internationally known when she exhibited at the landmark 1989 Magiciens de la Terre exhibition of African art at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. Mahlangu has received many international commissions for her art, including partnerships with BMW and Fiac, and her works are in the collections of museums across the world, notably two large-scale murals flanking the entrance to the African Art Gallery in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.