In April 2018, the University of Johannesburg (UJ) awarded celebrated South African artist Esther Mahlangu an honorary doctorate for her tremendous contribution as a cultural entrepreneur and educator. She was 82 years old at the time.

According to uj.ac.za, Dr Mahlangu had this to say about the honour: ​”Through my art, I have seen the world. In turn, the world learned about my Ndebele heritage. I speak isiNdebele, I walk isiNdebele and I wear isiNdebele – it is my culture. I am humbled and honoured to receive this prestigious accolade for keeping my culture alive for the generation to come after me.”

Born in 1935 in Middelburg, Mpumalanga, Dr Mahlangu was a young girl when her mother and grandmother began to teach her the traditional Ndebele art of mural painting. Speaking about these early days in an interview with sheleadsafrica.org, Mahlangu recalls, “When I got introduced to art, they realised that they couldn’t keep me away from painting no matter what duties and chores I had to take up.

As the first artist to “transfer the traditional modern abstract Ndebele designs that would typically decorate murals to canvases” (esthermahlanguart.com), she went on to introduce Ndebele art and culture to the world.

Here’s a look at some of her most notable contributions.

Exhibiting at Magiciens de la Terre

Dr Mahlangu stepped into the international spotlight when she was invited to attend the Magiciens de la Terre exhibition in France in 1989. In an interview with sothebys.com, Mahlangu explains that the organisers recreated her home in the exhibition venue for her to paint – which she did while thousands of visitors looked on. She did bring some materials from home, though: “I do not paint with brushes; I only use chicken feathers so I took my own chicken feathers with me because I knew they wouldn’t have the material I use to paint with.”

Creating a BMW Art Car

The BMW Art Car Project invites artists to use a BMW car as their canvas, and in 1991 Dr Mahlangu became the first female artist to receive an invitation. Twenty five years later, she worked with BMW again on an exhibit for the Frieze London Art Fair.

Collaborating with Belvedere Vodka and John Legend

Another notable project in 2016 was a collaboration with Belvedere Vodka and Grammy award-winning singer John Legend to “design the labels for a limited-edition range of Vodka bottles to raise money for the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa.” (esthermahlanguart.com)

Creating a tribute to Nelson Mandela

Dr Mahlangu collaborated with Nelson Mandela in 2004 to create six paintings. The artworks were “inspired by Mr Mandela by embellishing prints of drawings that he created in the traditional Ndebele style for which she is globally renowned.” (esthermahlanguart.com) In 2017, the paintings were introduced to the public at The Melrose Gallery in Johannesburg.

In her long artistic career, Esther Mahlangu has shared her love of Ndebele art on a local and international stage. In addition to her many works, she has also founded an art school in Mabhoko, Mpumalanga, where new generations of artists can learn the skills and techniques of Ndebele art.

Sources
Esthermahlanguart.com
Sheleadsafrica.org
Sothebys.com