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Christopher Cox May 24, 2023 Art ·

Dr. Esther Mahlangu: Where Two Rivers Meet

Dr Esther Mahlangu is globally acclaimed for her bright and bold abstract paintings with vivid, geometric patterns that are rooted in Ndebele artistic tradition, a South African community.

She was a disruptor from an early age, becoming the first person to reimagine Ndebele visual artistic tradition, historically used for decorating houses, on painting media like canvas.

Dr Mahlangu has spent more than seven decades practicing her technique and has traveled extensively to collaborate with the world’s most respected museums, galleries, curators, art fairs, celebrities, and global brands. These high-profile collaborations have generated much positive criticism and other exposure, and Dr. Mahlangu has developed an almost pop icon status of her own with a strong following among the celebrity crowd who have acquired her work for their collections (Oprah Winfrey, Usher, John Legend, Trevor Noah, David Bowie and Iman, Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys, Black Coffee, and others).

Although part of a cultural tradition, Esther Mahlangu has radically changed the media and techniques used. In addition to using industrial pigments and colors, the artist has applied these lines and geometric patterns to new surfaces, including sculptures, ceramics, automobiles, and even airplanes.In 1991 she became the first woman and first African to participate in the BMW Art Car Collection alongside other prominent figures such as Andy Warhol, David Hockney, Roy Lichtenstein, and Frank Stella.

Filed Under: Art Tagged With: Stories

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Exhibitions

Odili Donald Odita
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amy Sherald
Monaco
Yo Yo Lander
A Big Romance
Tunji Adeniyi-Jones
New York, United States
Oliver Okolo
Barcelona, Spain
Sandra Mujinga
Vienna
Artist and Professor, Shellyne Rodriguez, Arrested In New York

Artist and Professor, Shellyne Rodriguez, Arrested In New York

Long Time Collaborators Hank Willis Thomas and Coby Kennedy Unveil A Monumental Sculpture To Inspire Us To Come Together

Long Time Collaborators Hank Willis Thomas and Coby Kennedy Unveil A Monumental Sculpture To Inspire Us To Come Together

10 ft High Sculpture by Tschabalala Self Defaced In Seaside UK Village

10 ft High Sculpture by Tschabalala Self Defaced In Seaside UK Village

In Vivid Surreal Portraits, Aïda Muluneh Borrows Visual Language From Religious Iconography to Explore Politics and Identity

In Vivid Surreal Portraits, Aïda Muluneh Borrows Visual Language From Religious Iconography to Explore Politics and Identity

Black Art & Design Spring 2023 London Art Guide

Black Art & Design Spring 2023 London Art Guide

Salah Elmur, the Cairo-based Sudanese artist, has a unique perspective on the structures that house water and electricity.

Salah Elmur, the Cairo-based Sudanese artist, has a unique perspective on the structures that house water and electricity.

Towering Logs Balance Weight and Space in Hand-Carved Wooden Sculptures by Thaddeus Mosley

Towering Logs Balance Weight and Space in Hand-Carved Wooden Sculptures by Thaddeus Mosley

Watercolour Paper Portraits by YoYo Lander Celebrates Self Love in A Big Romance

Watercolour Paper Portraits by YoYo Lander Celebrates Self Love in A Big Romance

Khanyisile Mbongwa to curate the Liverpool Biennial in 2023

Khanyisile Mbongwa to curate the Liverpool Biennial in 2023

Meet London-based Director, Artist and Storyteller Leian John-Baptiste.  

Meet London-based Director, Artist and Storyteller Leian John-Baptiste.  

Could Art Be The Antidote We Need Right Now?

Could Art Be The Antidote We Need Right Now?

Photo credit/caption:filipwolak...:  Filip Wolak, color photo of a dark skinned black man bent over in a long arabesque wearing a white jacket and durag. 

Jerron Herman On Art & The Joy Of Advocacy

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