Motshile Wa NTHODI (b. 1948)
Black Paradise
1980
linocut
38 x 30 cm
BIOGRAPHY
Motshile wa Nthodi is a wood work carver, artist, poet and writer. He was born in Lady Selbourne, Pretoria. His grandmother was a wood carver and pot maker, which influenced his decision to become an artist.
He studied art at the Ecole Nationale Superieur des Beaux Arts in Paris and completed his Master’s degree at the Ecole Des Arts Visuele in Geneva.
Motshile has held over 80 self and group exhibitions across Switzerland, England, France, Germany, Austria and South Africa.
His works are held in public and private collections in Africa, Europe and the United States.
He is a member of New York Contemporary Art Museum and a participant of the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP).
Motshile’s work integrates Ndebele, Shangaan and Napadi cultural traditions and his use of colour is often symbolic – black symbolising life; red, the ancestors; and yellow, the celestial bodies.
He is best known for his work From the Calabash, which was commissioned by Lufthansa Airlines.