Colbert MASHILE (b. 1972)
Untitled
year unknown
mixed media on board
64 x 45 cm
BIOGRAPHY
Growing up in Bushbuckridge (also known as Mapulaneng), Mpumalanga, Colbert Mashile spent his childhood deeply embedded in folk tales and mythology, interacting with animals (he and his friends, for instance, herded goats) and absorbing community life.
‘I come from a place that is shrouded by powerful cultural norms and customs,’ he says. These customs, such as the ritual of circumcision, informed his early work.
He studied at the Johannesburg Art Foundation for three years before completing a degree in Fine Arts at the University of the Witwatersrand.
In his practice, he explores the often problematic narratives of collective cultural determinants and issues such as home, power, language, the natural landscape and our affinity to animals. Mystical figures, phallic images, pods, everyday objects and organic shapes abound in Mashile’s work.
Working with acrylic water paints in earthy colours and charcoal on thick watercolour paper, he is best known for his idiosyncratic compositions that feature quirky animal–human interactions. Certain animals – like goats and baboons – recur throughout his work, each with their own character and symbolic resonance. His work is richly layered with socio-political commentary.