Esther mahlangu

Esther Mahlangu omgwali obuya esizweni samaNdebele weSewula Afrika ube nomqaliso wezobukghwari ebizwa bona yi - 'then I knew I was good at painting' elethwe yi-Iziko South African Museums. U-Esther Mahlangu wabelethwa mhlana amalanga ali-11 kuSinyikhaba ngomnyaka we-1935 endaweni yange-Middleburg ePumalanga, ngokubelethwa ungu-Esther Ntuli bese wendela kwaMahlangu, kanti-ke wathoma ukugwala aneminyaka elitjhumi ngobudala. Imisebenzi yakhe ayithathelwa phasi, wanikelwa ubudorhodere mayunivesithi amane okuyi - University of Johannesburg ne-Durban University of Technology ngomnyaka wee-2018, Tshwane University of Technology ngomnyaka wee-2022 kanye ne - University of South Africa ngomnyaka wee-2024. 
Iziko South African Museums yavulela abantu bona bazokubona umsebenzi ka-Esther Mahlangu obukghwari bokugwala ukuthoma mhlana amalanga ama-18 Mhlolanja ukuya mhlana ama-11 Rhoboyi kumnya wee-2024. Umqaliso lo utjengisa umnikelo omangalisako ka-Esther Mahlangu weminyaka ematjhumi alikhomba ebukghwarini besimanjemanje ngemibala namafomu aphilako. Ifaka imisebenzi yobukghwari engaphezu kwe-100 evela emaqoqweni weentjhabatjhaba, iinthombe zomlando, kanye nefilimu emfitjhani, umqaliso lo unikela ngokudephileko emsebenzini wakhe. Okuqakathekileko yi-BMW 525i Art Car ka-Esther Mahlangu, ebuyela eSewula Afrika kokuthoma eminyakeni engaphezu kwama-30. Ngo-1991, wenza umlando njengomfazi wokuthoma nomgwalii we-Afrika obe ngomunye wabakghwari ku-BMW's Art Car Collection. Lokhu kubuyela emuva kunikela umbono ohlukileko womsebenzi ka-Mahlangu omkhulu nonamandla. 

Akupheleli lapho, ubukghwarobo ngitjho nayo ikoloyi ye-BMW ayigwalako ibuye yalethwa godu e-Wits Arts Gallery bona izokubonwa babantu mhlana amalanga ama-20 kuSinyikhaba 2024 ukuya mhlana amalanga ali-17 kuSihlabantangana kiwo umnyaka lo bese yabuyela emva. Okungaphezu kwalokho umqiniseki womqaliso lo uNontobeko Ntombela uyahlathulula bona “Umqaliso lo uletha ithuba elitjha lokuthi sibone umsebenzi wobukghwari omuhle ka-Esther Mahlangu. Umsebenzakhe ube nomthelela omkhulu emkhakheni wezobukghwari eSewula Afrika begodu umqaliso lo bufakazi bomnikelo omuhle.”  

 UMTHOMBO WELWAZI