Sabela Judus MAHLANGU (b. 1951)
The Intrigue
1983
etching
edition 9/25
31 x 50 cm
BIOGRAPHY
Born in Germiston, Speelman Makwe Mahlangu matriculated from Katlehong High School and trained at the Katlehong Art Centre, a foundation that influenced his artistic vision and technical development.
Mahlangu worked across multiple mediums, including clay, bronze and wood for his sculptures, as well as oils, acrylics, and mixed media for his paintings. His sculpture evolved by isolating sculptural forms in his paintings from the principle subjects and giving them a life of their own in clay, later to be cast in bronze. Stylistically, they owed much to the influence of the founders of the Katlehong Art Centre, Stanley Nkosi and Lucas Sithole, and also gave a nod to Ezrom Legae and Sydney Khumalo’s work from a generation before. Influences can also be identified in Central and West African sculpture infused with modernist distortions and distillations exemplified by Marini, Brancusi and Moore. Again the titles of his sculptures bear witness to Mahlangu’s underlying concerns: Cry of Comfort; Prayer for Peace; Where We Are at Now; Circle of Peace.
His paintings were often poetic and lyrical, encapsulating abstracted fragments of traditional African people, animals, design (principally Ndebele) and jewellery, creating anthems to a uniquely African world. Mahlangu’s artistic philosophy emphasised communication over confrontation, using his art as a medium to foster understanding and introspection. His work both spoke to and appealed to our higher human aspirations as a riposte to the brutal realities of the Apartheid state. The walls of his studio were scrawled with phrases that became the titles of his works: The Greatness of Human Spirit; Excellence of African Beauty; Language of Ubuntu; It’s OK to Dream. Love poems to a potential world.
During his career, Mahlangu achieved significant recognition both locally and internationally. He exhibited in Israel, South Africa and Germany. Among his notable accomplishments was the monumental bronze sculpture Prayer for Peace, editions of which are displayed at the South African Embassy in Berlin, Freedom Park in Pretoria and the Norval Foundation in Cape Town.
Mahlangu died suddenly in October 2004 at 46. In the years preceding his death he had made a body of sculpture including monumental works. He was in the process of moulding the works in preparation for casting them into bronze for an exhibition at Everard Read Cape Town, which finally took place posthumously in 2019. Everard Read continue to represent his Estate.