A new exhibition at the Melrose Gallery Whisperings of the Stars examines the fragmentation of African identities

By CityLife Arts Writer

There is new visual art talent whose work is being exhibited at The Melrose Arch Gallery, which may interest collectors who are interested in art that deals with the subject of identity, and in this case African identities that have been fragmented by the encounter with Western identities.

Open-minded, Papytsho Mafolo does not hesitate to experiment with new styles and techniques after research or during new artistic encounters which results are reflected, moreover, by the energy that emerges in his works.

Born in the Démocratique République of Congo in 1977,  Mafolo’s work depicts questions about the relativity between cultural identity and human behaviour.

 We are pleased to present Papytsho Mafolo’s latest solo, The Whisperings of the Stars as our first exhibition of 2022.His first solo in South Africa, will present a large body of new works created during 2021 including several works in large scales,” says the write up accompanying this exhibition

He questions cultural identity crises and the historical heritage of human societies, with a particular emphasis on African culture.

 Fragments of bodies half man and half animal often appear in his painting, which tell the realities of an African culture fragmented by foreign hegemony.

In practice, his techniques usually involve a collage of golden leaves, printed images, acrylic but also oil paint and unfinished lines on a canvas. These unfinished lines, according to Papytsho, evoke an infinite world but also as a self-reminder that artistically, he has not arrived yet.

 Papytsho’s work is included in the permanent collections of the UNESCO collection (France), Rotary Club Collection (Kinshasa), Shell Collection on (Kinshasa), King of Jordan private Collection and the D.R. Congolese Presidential Collection.