Courtesy of Ross + Kramer Gallery, New York (Photo: Grace Dodds).
For centuries, women of the Ndebele tribe in South Africa have painted the facades of their homes with vibrant, geometrical murals. For decades, Esther Mahlangu has brought the traditional practice onto the contemporary scene.
Born in 1935 in South Africa, Mahlangu has long been preoccupied with Ndebele painting, to which she was introduced at 10 years old by her mother and grandmother. Since then, the artist has developed a style deeply rooted in her heritage, expertly transporting Ndebele designs from house facades to canvases. Her monumental paintings teem with bright colors, lively shapes, and graphic lines, achieving a rare balance between each visual element.
Mahlangu was the subject of a recent solo exhibition at Ross + Kramer Gallery in New York. Esther Mahlangu: Time in Color showcased over 30 of Mahlangu’s paintings, created between 2011 and 2021, as well as a fully handpainted car.
Featured paintings not only reflect Mahlangu’s artistic evolution across time, but also her enduring fascination with what she calls “Sacred Geometry.” Each composition is executed with immense care, as forms of varying shapes, sizes, and colors beautifully complement one another due to their precise placement.
The car, too, reflects Mahlangu’s exceptional ability to reimagine the Ndebele painting style. Rather than merely being reserved for the home, these Ndebele designs cascade down the car’s entire surface, including its wheels. It’s this flexibility that has gained Mahlangu international recognition, allowing her to explore different media through collaborations with John Legend, Absolute Vodka, and BMW, among others.
“Throughout her career, Mahlangu has made invaluable contributions to the contemporary art world, expanding the canon of abstract painting,” Ross + Kramer Gallery writes in a statement. “She has spent decades making art, and has collaborated with numerous internationally renowned museums, galleries, curators, art fairs, celebrities, and global brands.”
To discover more about the artist, visit Esther Mahlangu’s website.
For more than seven decades, Esther Mahlangu has been creating art rooted in her Ndebele heritage.
Courtesy of Ross + Kramer Gallery, New York (Photo: Grace Dodds).
Courtesy of Ross + Kramer Gallery, New York (Photo: Grace Dodds).
Courtesy of Ross + Kramer Gallery, New York (Photo: Grace Dodds).
Courtesy of Ross + Kramer Gallery, New York (Photo: Grace Dodds).
Mahlangu’s paintings reimagine traditional Ndebele house paintings, integrating bright colors and precise geometrical designs.
Courtesy of Ross + Kramer Gallery, New York (Photo: Grace Dodds).
Courtesy of Ross + Kramer Gallery, New York (Photo: Grace Dodds).
Courtesy of Ross + Kramer Gallery, New York (Photo: Grace Dodds).
Courtesy of Ross + Kramer Gallery, New York (Photo: Grace Dodds).
Ross + Kramer Gallery in New York recently showcased more than 30 of the artist’s works.
Courtesy of Ross + Kramer Gallery, New York (Photo: Grace Dodds).
Courtesy of Ross + Kramer Gallery, New York (Photo: Grace Dodds).
Courtesy of Ross + Kramer Gallery, New York (Photo: Grace Dodds).
The exhibition traveled through ten years of artwork from 2011 to 2021, and even featured a hand-painted art car.
Courtesy of Ross + Kramer Gallery, New York (Photo: Grace Dodds).
Courtesy of Ross + Kramer Gallery, New York (Photo: Grace Dodds).
Courtesy of Ross + Kramer Gallery, New York (Photo: Grace Dodds).
Courtesy of Ross + Kramer Gallery, New York (Photo: Grace Dodds).
Courtesy of Ross + Kramer Gallery, New York (Photo: Grace Dodds).