Esther Mahlangu

**uEsther Nikwambi  Mahlangu** (owazalwa zi-11 kuNovemba 1935) ingcweti yemifanekiso yaseNingizimu Afrika. Njengomuntu wamandebele uDokotela Mahlangu uthola ugqozi esikweni lakhe lesindebele njengomuntu wamandebele uDokotela Mahlangu uthola ugqozi esikweni lakhe lesindebele elinemibala eminingi futhi elenziwe ngezinto eziningi. Lokhu kanye nekhono lakhe elimangalisayo kuholele ekutheni abe ngomunye wabaculi abadumile eNingizimu Afrika

## <u>I</u>siqalo sokuphila

U-Esther Nikwambi Mahlangu wazalwa zingama-11 kuLwezi 1935 epulazini elingaphandle kwaseMiddelburg, eMpumalanga, eNingizimu Afrika, futhi ungowamaNdebele aseNingizimu. nogogo, belandela isiko lamaNdebele aseNingizimu ukuthi abesifazane bapende ingaphandle lezindlu. Kuleli siko lamasiko lapho uMahlangu aqala khona uhambo lwakhe lwezobuciko. Wayenezelamani ezincane eziyisishiyagalombili, ezazakhiwe abafana abayisithupha namantombazane amathathu (kuhlanganise naye). Yena nomyeni wakhe babenamadodana amathathu. Kamuva, washonelwa umyeni wakhe namadodana akhe amabili kwamathathu. Uke wasebenza eBotshabelo Museum eMpumalanga ngaphambi kokuba abe yiciko.

## Umsebenzi wengcweti yemifanekiso

Amaphethini kaMahlangu ezinkomba zobuciko atholakala ezingutsheni kanye nobucwebe babantu besiNdebele. Amaphethini awasebenzisayo ngokuvamile anemibala eminingi kanye nejometri. Imidwebo yakhe mikhulu ngokwezinga. U-Esther Mahlangu wasebenzisa amabhulashi enziwe ngezimpaphe zenkukhu. Waziwa ngokuhumusha kanye nokufaka indawo yendabuko yobuciko baseNdebele basezindongeni, udonga lobulongwe benkomo lwe-adobe, ngeseyili, futhi ekugcineni, nama-alloys ensimbi. Iphethini yesiginesha kaMahlangu yemigqa eboshwe emhlophe isethwe ngokudayagonali noma ebunjwe njengama-chevron. Usayina bonke ubuhlalu bakhe ngobuhlalu ngamagama okuqala athi “E M”. Njengeciko, ukwakheka kwakhe “...kuhlangene kakhulu, kuyaheha futhi kuyinkimbinkimbi ukwedlula okwabantu besikhathi sakhe, imingcele iyinkimbinkimbi kakhulu. Unomkhuba wokwenza i-motif yephethini yakhe. "

UMahlangu waqala ukunakwa umhlaba wonke ngo-1989 embukisweni wobuciko waseFrance owawunesihloko esithi Magiciens de la terre (Izazi Zomhlaba).Kamuva ngo-1991, wathunywa yi-BMW ukuthi enze imoto yobuciko, njengoba abanye abadali be-BMW Art Car babenzile ngaphambili (okuhlanganisa no-Andy Warhol, David Hockney noFrank Stella). Imoto, iBMW 525i, bekuyimoto yokuqala "ye-African Art Car" futhi yapendwe ngemidwebo yesiNdebele.  Imoto kamuva yabukiswa eNational Museum of Women in the Arts eWashington, DC ngo-1994. Yaphinde yabukiswa eBritish Museum, eLondon ngo-2017.

## Imibukiso

* 1989

Magiciens de la terre (Centre Georges Pompidou) e-Paris (1989):

* 1992

I-Carav Cultural Centre of Contemporary Art

Comme des Garcons (Tokyo, Japan; New York, USA; Paris, France)

Idokhumenti 9

I-Civic Theatre

* 1991

I-Caravan Auto Show (Lavante)

Umbukiso wezimoto zobuciko zakwa-BMW (Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town)

* 1993

I-Geneva International Exhibition (Geneva)

I-Nantes Fine Arts Museum

* 1994

I-Musee des Beauz- Arts de Nantes (1994)

* 1995

BMW Art Cars kanye Painting Exhibition

I-Market Theatre

* 1996

IBhange Lomhlaba

I-Armor J. Blackburn Centre, i-Howard University

Igalari Yepherishi

I-Congressional Black Caucus

* 1997

I-Het Afrika Museum

I-National Arts Club

I-African Immigrant Folklife Festival

Spoleto Festival

York College Galleries

* 1998

I-Tobu Museum of Art

* 1999

Van Reekum Museum

* 2000

5th Biennal of Contemporary Art

* 2001

I-Helsinki Fair Centre

* 2002

I-Centro Culturale Trevi

* 2003

I-Irma Stern Museum

* 2005

Museum of Fine Arts

Grimaldi Forum

Pretoria Art Museum

I-Smithsonian Institute

* 2006

I-Jean Pigozzi Contemporary African Art Collection

I-Tacoma Museum of Art

I-Roppongi Hills Art Museum

Scuderie Aldobrandini Frascati

* 2007    

Ubuciko Ezikhaleni Zomphakathi

I-Walters Art Museum

Durban Art Gallery

UPinacoteca Giovanni noMarella Agnelli

* 2008

I-Denver Museum of Art

* 2009

I-Complesso Monumentale del Vittoriano

* 2011

Museum of Arts and Design

* 2013

34 Ubuciko obuhle

* 2014

I-Museum of African Art (2014)

* 2015    

I-Irma Stern Museum

I-Amref Health Africa Artball

* 2016

I-Frieze Art Fair

* 2017

I-Cape Town Art Fair (2017)

* 2019

National Museum Oliewenhuis

Cape Town Art Fair

* 2020

Igalari ye-Melrose

I-Investec Cape Town Art Fair

* 2021

Almine Rech

* 2022

Igalari ye-inthanethi ye-Alpha 137

Igalari ye-Melrose

* NGABE NGAZI UKUTHI NGINGUMHLE EKUPENENI: ESTHERMAHLANGU, A RETROSPECTIVE 2024. 

## Eminye imibukiso
Ngeskhathi saka 1980 kufikela ku 1991 Imoto kaMahlangu yeBMW Art, yayi gcinwe emnyuziyamu evulekile yaseBotshabelo Historical Village, eyethula futhi ifundise izivakashi ngamasiko amaNdebele.

Imidwebo yesiNdebele yaphinde yenziwa kabusha ngo-1997 emisileni yezindiza zeBritish Airways futhi yaphindwa ngendlela efanayo isetshenziswe ngumdwebi ukudweba ku-Fiat 500 entsha emcimbini wombukiso othi "Why Africa?" (2007, eTurin).

UMahlangu ungomunye wezingcweti zemifanekiso zase-Afrika ubuciko babo obuvame ukukhonjiswa emazweni aphesheya. Imisebenzi yakhe isemaqoqweni amakhulu ayimfihlo okuhlanganisa nele-Contemporary African Art Collection (CAAC) kaJean Pigozzi kanye nakumamnyuziyamu amaningi aseNtshonalanga. Naphezu kokuba yiciko elaziwa emhlabeni wonke, u-Esther Mahlangu okwamanje uhlala endaweni yakubo esondelene futhi ehlala exhumana namasiko akhe.

## Izindikimba
UMahlangu ulandela isiko lendawo lapho lolu hlobo oluthile lwesu lokudweba ludluliselwa emndenini, luxhunywe, lufundwe futhi ludluliselwe ngabesifazane kuphela (esikhathini esedlule). Le midwebo ixhumene kakhulu nesiko lokuhlobisa izindlu ngesikhathi somkhosi wokudlula kwabafana. Phakathi kweminyaka eyi-18 nengama-20, intsha yalesi sizwe iya "esikoleni sokusoka", isiko eliqinisekisa ukudlulela kwayo ekubeni abantu abadala. Ukuze kugujwe lo mcimbi abesifazane bapenda kabusha ngokuphelele ngaphakathi nangaphandle kwezindlu zabo ngokulungisa ubulongwe bezinkomo kanye nombala wemvelo. Amapende we-acrylic anombala ogqamile nawo asetshenziswa emiklameni evezwe imigqa emnyama. Nakuba kubonakala kulula, ukufinyezwa kwejiyomethri okwembulwa yile midwebo kugcizelelwa ukuphindaphinda njalo nokulinganisa kwalezi zimo ezilula okwenza wonke umsebenzi ube nzima kakhulu.

Ubuciko buka-Esther Mahlangu bugqamisa ukungezwani phakathi kwendawo kanye nomhlaba wonke, phakathi kwe-anchor kanye nethimba. Naphezu kokuqhubeka nokusebenzisa lona "ulimi lobuciko" oluhlobene eduze namasiko akhe, uMahlangu usebenzise imiklamo ezintweni ezihlukahlukene ezihlanganisa amaseyili, izithombe eziqoshiwe, izitsha zobumba kanye nezimoto. Ubuye wabambisana nemikhiqizo eyahlukene efana neBMW, Fiat, EYTYS, Melissa's, Beleverde, British Museum kanye neRolls-Royce.

## Usuku lwamanje

Imoto ka-Esther Mahlangu ye-BMW Art yango-1991 yayibukwe eBritish Museum njengengxenye 'yeNingizimu Afrika: ubuciko besizwe', kusukela mhla ka-27 kuMfumfu ka-2016 -  kufikela ku-27 kaNhlolanja ka-2017. ikhonjiswe eFrieze Art Fair ngo-2016 nombukiso ohambisana nawo womsebenzi odidiyelwe I-BMW ne-34FineArt. Usanda kuqeda umklamo okhethekile webhodlela le-Belvedere Vodka (50% yayo yonke inzuzo ukusiza ukulwa ne-HIV/AIDS e-Afrika). Njengeciko elihlala endaweni, uMahlangu wanikezwa umsebenzi ngo-2014 yiVirginia Museum of Fine Arts ukwakha imisebenzi yobuciko emibili emikhulu.

UMahlangu uqondisa isikole esifundisa amantombazane asemancane hhayi kuphela ukudweba kodwa nendlela yokudweba imiklamo yezingxenye ezithile zobuhlalu. Isiko alimile. Njengoba umsebenzi ofanayo kaMahlangu uphakamisa, "isiko" yinkundla engomahambanendlwana, egxile ekusaseni futhi elungele ukuhlanganisa izisusa ezahlukene. Empeleni nakuba iNingizimu Afrika ingelinye lamazwe ase-Afrika akwazi ukwenza lula futhi aqhakambise imisebenzi yabaculi bakhona ezweni lonke nasemhlabeni wonke njengomcimbi obubanjwe kabili eGoli, kodwa umsebenzi ka-Esther Mahlangu ukhombisa isibindi kakhulu ngoba wazalelwa futhi wakhulela ezinxushunxushwini zezombusazwe nezenhlalo.

U-Esther Mahlangu usebenze ngokuzikhandla ukuze adalule futhi athuthukise ithalente lakhe lokuhambela umhlaba, futhi uzimisele kakhulu ukwabelana ngolwazi lwakhe nesizukulwane esisha ukuze ashiye ifa eliqhubekayo ezizukulwaneni ezilandelayo.

## Ukuphanga
Mhla ziyi-19 kuNdasa ka-2022 uMahlangu washaywa futhi wagetshengwa emzini wakhe, imali kanye nesibhamu sakhe. Amaphoyisa aqala umkhankaso wokuthungatha umsolwa – okwakuthiwa insizwa ukhokho wayo wayeboleke uyise kaNksz Mahlangu imali ngeminyaka yawo-1920 - eminyakeni eyikhulu ngaphambili. Umsolwa uvalelwe esitokisini, omunye abehamba naye wadedelwa ngebheyili.

## Imiklomelo nezindondo

* Waklonyeliswa ngendondo ye-Ikhamanga ngesiliva ngo-2006. 

* Uthole Indondo yokuqala ye-United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (i-UNHCR) I-NGO yaseNingizimu Afrika kanye ne-Multi-Stakeholder Award ngo-2019.

* Unikezwe iziqu zobudokotela ezihlonishwayo (Philosophiae Doctor honoris causa) yiNyuvesi yaseJohannesburg, 9 April 2018.

* Ngo-2024, wahlonishwa yi-University of South Africa

## Izithenjwa