Iconic artist, Esther Mahlangu was recently honoured with a street mural in New York, United States by upcoming visual artist, Imani Shanklin Roberts.
The New York-based artist designed and painted the new mural on Franklin Street and West Broadway in Tribeca.
It is her way of paying tribute to Mahlangu’s influence on the modern art.
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The mural is titled Xola ‘stay in peace’ and it is made in Ndebele culture paintings. The work is part of a month-long partnership between South African Tourism and Citi Bike with the Department of Transportation. Mahlangu’s creations have inspired international brands and artists around the world.
She was born in Middelburg. Roberts wrote on Instagram that when she first came to New York in 2009 she didn’t imagine that it would be a city she would create lasting memories in.
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“I didn’t imagine that this would be a city I would have a child in, let alone have success in my artistry. Creating a mural in honour of an artist I have known all my life in a city that is not welcoming to many, feels unreal.
“It feels like an aligning moment many of us have when the universe co-creates with us and is in agreement with our path.
Xola is a South African name which I gave to my daughter. This is my form of resistance and protest,” said Roberts.
