Visual artist Senzo Shabangu declared Artist of the Month
This honour comes with an opportunity for a solo exhibition at the Melrose gallery in Johannesburg this December.
By Edward Tsumele, CITYLIFE/Arts Editor
Johannesburg based visual artist Senzo Shabangu has been declared Artists of the Month by prestigious Johannesburg gallery The Melrose Gallery and that honour comes with an opportunity for a solo show during December 2021.12.02 Shabangu is one painter who over the years has proven to be prolific and has produced a body of work that has been appreciated by the visual art market. Dealing mainly with socio political issues, Shabangu for many years has worked with David Krut Projects where he regularly exhibited his work. With this upcoming solo exhibition at The Melrose Gallery, this is the first time that the painter is working with the Melrose Arch based gallery, joining a prestigious list of other established artists that include for example Esther Mahlangu and Pitika Ntuli, for example.
As part of the exhibition Shabangu will on December 15, 2021 hold an online discussion with art historian Barnabas Ticha Muvhuti, which will be screened on instagram.
Muvhuti is a PhD student in Art History at Rhodes University with the NRF/DST SARChI Chair Geopolitics and the Arts of Africa, Arts of Africa and Global Souths research programme. His research focuses on the neglected or forgotten black modern art teachers in Zimbabwe. He is also interested in the work of Zimbabwe-born contemporary artists.
Ticha has a Master of Philosophy in Ancient Cultures from Stellenbosch University, a Bachelor of Arts Honours in Curatorship Studies from the University of Cape Town, and a Bachelor of Arts Honours in Archaeology from Midlands State University. He has worked as a gallery assistant at the AVA Gallery in Cape Town, and as a research assistant and project manager at the Centre for Curating the Archive (UCT), where he was involved in several projects. He is also part of the Refugees In Towns research team at Tufts University.
“The Melrose Gallery is pleased to present Senzo Shabangu as our Artist of the Month for December 2021. As part of this programme Senzo will be launching ‘Kuyobongwa Namaqhawe’ (Heroes will be Awarded/ Thanked).
This solo, to be presented online on a viewing room on www.themelrosegallery.com, is a dedication to the people who stand taller despite their circumstances with a strong focus on the younger generation. We would like to invite you to participate in an engaging Q & A with Senzo and Barnabus Tich Muvuthi on Instagram Live on 15 December 2021 at 18h00 GMT.
Please submit your questions on Senzo’s work, practice, motivations and more via the button hereunder and Senzo and Barnabas will try to answer as many as possible.
This is an opportunity to gain a unique insight into the artist and to explore his practice through open discourse,” The Melrose Gallery said in statement.