Michael Paul SIBISI (b. 1948)
Untitled
1993
mixed media on paper
75 x 37 cm
Untitled
1993
mixed media on paper
75 x 37 cm
BIOGRAPHY
Michael Paul Sibisi was born in Umkhumbane, Durban. In 1960, his family relocated to Chesterville due to the Group Areas Act of 1950.
He attended Chesterville Secondary School, where he completed Standard 9 in 1965, and went on to study at Adams Teachers’ Training College.
His artistic talent was uncovered by his teacher Innocent Masondo. As there were no art classes at Adams College, he acted on the advice of Masondo and applied to study at Ndaleni Educational Training School under Lorna Peirson, with financial assistance provided by a Department of ‘Bantu Education’ bursary.
At the end of 1968, Sibisi was referred to Jo Thorpe of the South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR) in Durban who, through the African Art Centre, was to play a central role in his life and career as an artist.
After completing his studies, he taught art at Appelsbosch Girls’ Training College in Ozwatini (1969 to 1971) and then at Ndongeni Primary School.
A bursary from the SAIRR in 1972 enabled him to study at Rorke’s Drift Art and Crafts Centre, where he made friends with Thami Mnyele, who introduced him to the philosophy of Black Consciousness and the power of books to develop his intellectual capacities. Reading authors such as Frantz Fanon, Casey Motsisi, and Can Themba, as well as the literary and arts magazine Staffrider, heightened his political consciousness.
He was the winner of the Graphic Art Award at the Black Expo of 1973.
In 1974, he held a joint exhibition at the NSA Gallery, Durban, with Vuminkosi Zulu.
In 1984, he had his first solo at the African Art Centre.
His career as an artist and teacher culminated at Umzuvele High School in KwaMashu where he taught for 20 years between 1977 and 1997. During this stage of his life, Sibisi fused and interpreted socio-political experiences with his art. Since his learners were directly impacted by the unjust policies of apartheid, their activism and resistance inspired some of his work. Titles such as The Classroom Wrangle (1989), Umzuvele Unrest (1981), Love and Peace (1981), and Stop It Now (1986) emanate from this time.
In 1984, Sibisi received an Operation Crossroads Africa grant, which enabled him to visit the United States. In 1987, he spent six months in Britain at Fircraft College in Birmingham studying art education and graphic techniques.
His work is represented in the SABC Art Collection, the Campbell Collection of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, the Durban Art Gallery, Johannesburg Art Gallery, the Tatham Art Gallery and the University of Fort Hare, among others.