Then I knew I was Good at Painting Esther Mahlangu, A Retrospective is akin to viewing silent poetry

Then I knew I was Good at Painting Esther Mahlangu, A Retrospective is on at Wits Art Museum in Braamfontein till April 2025. There will be a guided walkabout by curator Nontobeko Ntombela. on Saturday 23 November 2024 @12:00. Don’t miss this chance to gain valuable insight into this engaging exhibition. 

By Edward Tsumele

The debate about what is more valuable to society between science and the arts has been going on for centuries all over the world, and till this day it still rages on. No conclusion has been reached, and it probably will not be reached in humanity itself’s life time.

What is not debatable though is the fact that both are important civilisations n human existence. I mean how do you in monetary terms for example assess and put a price tag to a feeling you get when you are listening to a Beethoven composition, the spiritually rich performance by pianist Nduduzo Makhathini or listening to the South African jazz classic Mannenberg by Abdullah Ibrahim? But when it comes to scientific inventions, for example the invention of electricity, it is easier to put a price tag.

This kind of dilemma haunted me once more this week when I looked at the impressive body of work on the walls and the floor of Wits Art Museum on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, created by iconic Ndebele painter Dr. Esther Mahlangu.

Then I knew I was Good at Painting Esther Mahlangu, A Retrospective is curated by Nontobeko Ntombela.

Looking at the preciseness of her geometric lines, meticulously painted, almost like mathematical meditation, if there is any kind of visual representation that is close to poetry, this is it. Mahlangu’s painting is static poetry. She is clearly a seer, and in many ways this body of work is a testimony to the idea that the gaps in knowledge by human civilisations that science has consistently failed to address adequately can only be addressed through art practice.

These works, including the BMW that she painted in 1992, which in a way opened doors for this self-taught artist to be recognised and celebrated at prestigious art fairs, top notch galleries and having her works collected by high profile individuals and institutions globally are an eye opener. Looking at the pictures on the walls you start to realise that you are viewing silent poetry.

In a way, it was understandable why the Wits Art Museum was left with no space for people to breathe on the VIP opening night, when young and old, those who know art and those who pretend to know, academics and the ordinary men and women in the streets, filled up the museum, leaving little space to move and even breathe comfortably during a particularly hot evening.

Mahlangu is no ordinary artist. Yes, her art is regarded as Ndebele art, and, yes, she paints within the idiom of Ndebele traditional art, but she is more than that to those who attended this event, and those who could not. These include collectors who have over the years, and mainly from overseas, adorned their living rooms, their museums and of course their cars with her art, who found it important within their hearts of hearts to share their treasure trove of really high-quality art they have over the years collected from Mahlangu with South Africans.

If there is anyone to be called a celebrity painter, Mahlangu clearly is. She commands presence and respect for her artistry and her visual articulation of her Ndebele culture and roots through this body of work, which was first shown at Iziko Museum in Cape Town, before finding its way to WAM.

And quire remarkably, at age 89, her mental faculty is sharp, her physical energy is quite remarkable for a person of her age, and intriguingly she is still able to use her hands to create works that touch all the viewers.

On this occasion, which was attended by among other dignitaries Wits Chancellor Dr. Judy Dlamini who spoke glowingly about the artists and praised the highly respected academic and curator Nontobeko Ntombela who curated this exhibition, among others, the artist was clearly happy and appreciated how those who attended valued her contribution to South African culture.

She demonstrated her approval of her public approval by engaging in dance and song to the excitement of the guests. The gogo can indeed be naught if she is in her element. She danced and sang as if she was in her 50s and had to be pulled off the stage just for her sake. But this is simply because Mahlangu clearly was happy to share this body of work with fellow South Africans most of whom would have never imagined that one day they would see such works.

This is an important body of work as with it it does not only carry the Ndebele culture, but in many was South African culture to the world. You will not only see this body of work, but feel, hear, and even trigger your intellectual fancy. It is a body of work that will push you to have a conversation, and if not with others with yourself as you think about the role of art in society and its meaning to you as well.

This exhibition is quite iconic in that you will be able to see a wide range of what Mahlangu over the years has created, and all these works are loaned from collectors from around the world, and this is the first time that a body of work of this nature by the artist has been shared with the public.

This is thanks to Craig Mark, the director of The Melrose Gallery, who has taken it upon himself to make sure that the public gets to understand Mahlangu’s importance on the global art market scene. She is indeed revered everywhere. Mark has been for the past 18 months been travelling between California in the US where he is based and South Africa, is clearly not nicknamed Mr. Melrose Arch nothing by the folk there. He is clearly a visionary role player in South Africa’s art ecosystem.

Quite intriguingly during the opening, he seemed to share with me his frustration that Mahlangu until only seven years ago, when he signed her to his gallery, had no gallery representation anywhere else in the world, and everything that she has managed to do so far to make sure that the Ndebele culture and the South African culture is taken seriously around the world was done without gallery representation. He could have as well added that it is a pity that it took her international breakthrough for her art to be appreciated locally. And now, many of us can no longer afford an Esther Mahlangu.

Fortunately, through this retrospective exhibition, at least we can view her wide- ranging body of works and get to do that for free..Then I knew I was Good at Painting Esther Mahlangu, A Retrospective is on till April 2025. There will however be a guided walkabout by curator Nontobeko Ntombela. on Saturday 23 November 2024 @12:00. Don’t miss this chance to gain valuable insight into this engaging exhibition.