Ndebele Abstract, 2019 signed recto Acrylic on canvas 94 1/2 x 141 3/4 in (240 x 360 cm)
This year, Jenkins Johnson Gallery will be showcasing a solo presentation of legendary South African artist and Cultural Embassador of the Ndebele Nation, Dr. Esther Mahlangu.
Dr. Esther Mahlangu is known for bright and bold abstract paintings with vivid, geometric patterns rooted in the South African Ndebele nation’s traditional technique for painting murals on buildings, passed
between generations of women. She transports the new method to surfaces, usually canvas, in the Ndebele custom: freehand, without a ruler or prior sketches, using a chicken-feather brush, prioritizing straight lines and balance. By continuing this tradition for over seven decades, she honors many women who used patterns as secret codes to share personal prayers, emotional journeys, and collective values. Mahlangu was also the first woman and African woman in 1991 to participate in the BMW Art Car Collection alongside other artists like Hockney, Warhol, and Lichtenstein; Julie Mehretu was selected for 2024.
Dr. Esther Mahlangu’s works are in museums around the world including Centre Pompidou, Paris; South Africa National Gallery, Iziko Museum, Cape Town; Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, D.C.; and Brooklyn Museum, NY. In 2024 her retrospective will be at Wits Art Museum, Johannesburg and Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town. This Fall, a large mural will be unveiled at the Serpentine Gallery. She is currently in the 60th Venice Biennale and at the High Museum of Art.
