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MONTH OF THE AFRICAN ART
Nene Mahlangu: the art of faith and freedom
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Nene Mahlangu is a multidisciplinary visual artist born in Ga-Rankuwa, based in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Inspired by sensuality, fashion, politics and religion, Mahlangu’s ethereal representations have braced the walls of local and international art fairs and exhibitions. Her works have evolved from monochromatic realistic work to vibrant drawings and paintings of large scale.
In 2019, she made history by being the youngest woman to ever design two coins for her country. She went further to be the first person to put a black girl’s face on the South African money to commemorate 25 years of democracy.
She made her international art fair debut by exhibiting work at the Venice International Art Fair in 2020. The same year she was listed as one of Mail and Guardian’s Top 200 Young South Africans in the same year.
2022 became the year she was the lead visual artist for the Grammy award winning DJ and producer Black Coffee’s HiIbiza residency, creating 22 artworks for the project.
Here is Nene Mahlangu exclusively for FXLB Mag.
Can you share with us how did your creative journey start?
My creative path started when I was extremely young, I’ve always possessed a creative flair. When I was a child, I loved colours, drawing and books with a lot of pictures. My grandmother at the time loved to paint and seeing her house filled with colourful pieces of cloth always made me feel excited. My house was a house of deep faith and I grew up always being told that “all things will work out for my good.” Although I loved the arts I also loved to read and study. I didn’t grow up in the most privileged surroundings and I know my parents meant well by encouraging me to pursue a more traditional route. Yes I may have a formal degree in medical sciences which I see as the study of the art of the human body, but the beautiful thing about being inundated with positive divine messages your whole life is that eventually doubt and fear stop becoming main characters in it. One could say that making the decision to pursue the arts was a pure leap of faith.
Fashion is one the themes which is reflected in your artworks. At the same time the political is visibly present too. Can we talk about one of our favourite portraits “May be I will tell”: what is the meaning behind this perfect and stylish beauty?
You are right by saying that the influence of fashion has gripped me! I enjoy fashion for its ability to break the moulds of traditional representations of identity. The figures’ eyes are covered in reference to Lady Justice. No matter how she is painted, drawn or otherwise depicted, her eyes are always covered to represent how she cannot be influenced by the person being judged and thus does not fall prey to prejudice or corruption. The blindfold (in reference to Lady Justice) represents the justice system being blind to a person’s wealth, power, gender and race. Although we are not law enforcement, hence the omission of the sword (our power to enforce punishment) which lady justice usually holds, we are everyday people with our own tastes and experiences. Change can happen if individually, we work towards affecting our immediate environment when we see injustice or corruption. My hope is that we are not persuaded by a person’s wealth, power, gender and race if we are ever drawn into tempting circumstances.
The figure is in an act of being tempted. She breaks the traditional still mould of Lady Justice by embodying the seductive nature of the thrill of doing what is wrong. She is being influenced, which is something she should be immune to. The artwork reflects the power of temptation and how our country’s leadership is currently enthralled by it
What do you think about the impact of social media on the mental health?
In the past, I used to think that social media was extremely terrible for one’s mental health. My opinion changed after I unfollowed the accounts that triggered my anxiety and followed the accounts that encouraged me to have a healthier outlook on my life. The algorithm can be a tool that you can use in your favour, if you allow it to, but it needs your help to guide it by constantly feeding it what is good for you. Since I’ve made these changes to my feeds, my social media has been a positive place of education, affirmations, advice and healing. I now focus my energy on other topics.
What does art represent to you?
For me art is a place where we can unpack the issues that have important influence in our lives. It is a tool that can put a face to issues that affect our communities. Art is a place of escape, a place where we can connect with our fullest potential, it reminds us of our humanness, it can also remind us of our most divine selves.
You have made a few of creative collaborations, everyone of which is special. We would like to talk about two of them. Let’s start with the coins you designed for The South African Mint in 2019. What was the core message you were transferring though the image?
designed two coins with the South African Mint, one represented Children’s Rights, the other The Right to Education. These coins were designed to commemorate 25 years of our country’s democracy, and through this collaboration I became the youngest person to have ever designed coins for the country. Regarding the Children’s Rights coin, representation was an important issue for me, I wanted other children to also see themselves in the money that they use. It was important for me to put a black girl on the coin and to put a Khoi child on that coin, faces that I’ve never seen on currency before. With the Right to Education, it was just an emphasis on how I believe that education is a lifetime commitment, from birth to death books need to be a central pillar in our lives.
Totally different partnership with the the Grammy nominated artist Black Coffee. You created the 22 visual artworks for the Hilbiza Residency where Black Coffee is producing. What did inspire you in this case?
At the moment of writing this, he is officially a Grammy award winning artist. I actually created 23 artworks for his HiIbiza residency, most of the artwork was made when I was in Finland for my artist residency. The works are a bit more experimental than my previous works, I used the playful and colourful spirit of the island of Ibiza as my inspiration. I kept imagining the type of people that I would see if I went there and through the eye of my imagination, how they would look like. The artworks represent the different crowds that Black Coffee attracts to his events and they serve as a beautiful visual reminder of the powerful influence music has to always bring people together.
Your main drawing support seemed to be a charcoal. Now we can see more oil& acrylic paintings appearing in your recent works. Are you going to explore new tools and techniques further more like digital art?
Definitely, I’m always playing and experimenting with different things. I’m currently playing around with creating rugs and making animated 3D visual pieces, but I guess you’ll have to wait and see how they will look like!
You are very young but have archived so much. What advice would you give to the emerging artists who are starting their creative life?
Pessimists believe that they give good advice but all they do is give you words wrapped in fear. Do not fall for it. The dreams that you have in your heart were given to you for a reason. Try to live out your life by pursuing them with all of your might. Having faith is the first key to unlocking all that you want to achieve in your life.
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