Bold oil strokes on canvas of dynamic proportion juxtaposed on the walls of the lower gallery of Polokwane Art Museum contain a social lesson reiterated by Limpopo-born artist Maredi Mphahlele, who boast his first solo exhibition on home turf.
In an interview Johannesburg-based Mphahlele said he titled the exhibition Social Responsibility to highlight the fact that “if we continue to have unplanned children government is not going to be able to take care of us, because of resources being spent on child grants. Government is trying. It would never be enough as long as we people keep doing what we are doing.”
Bright reds, oranges, blues and yellows catch the eye upon entering the space accommodating the body of works until 15 March this year. The exhibition, launched last Thursday evening, is made up of 23 oil paintings of dominating figures and nature scapes.
Mphahlele’s work displays the brush strokes of an artist who discovered his affinity for oil as a medium while studying at an institution in Diepkloof in Soweto after his arrival in Johannesburg in 1998. Financial constraints, however, forced him to drop out of his studies two years later. He never went back to formal training. He referred to himself as a natural born artist who started out creating sculptures made from a mix of red soil and clay from rivers in the surrounds of Ga-Mphahlele where he grew up. At the age of six, he indicated, he already knew he “could do things differently from other boys” when trying his hand at art. He still produces clay sculptures and expressed the wish to exhibit them if granted the opportunity.
His favourite painting on exhibition is titled Social Security, of a woman with a baby on her back and a South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) card in her one hand. His all-time favourite ever produced was The Hunter, depicting a man hunting for a better life. “It was beautiful,” he exclaimed. He mentioned it was sold along with four more of his other works during an exhibition at Polokwane Art Museum in 2008 as part of a bigger display of works by Limpopo artists. Two years later he participated in a mural art project of Polokwane Municipality across different clusters. His first participation in a two-artist exhibition entailed Ndebele art at Market Theatre in Johannesburg in 2001. Asked how he would portray himself in a painting, he responded by saying he had no idea.
Johanna Kaka, who is Chairperson of the Mayoral Portfolio Committee on Arts and Culture and rendered the opening address on behalf of Executive Mayor Thembi Nkadimeng, told her audience that Mphahlele has grown under the mentorship of the art museum to become one of South Africa’s promising art prospects since entering into the museum’s Community Art Mural programme as part of the municipality’s Soccer World Cup public programme in 2010. In an interview afterwards she expressed the view that his work was very good and that she was impressed.
In an interview Polokwane Art Museum Curator Amos Letsoalo said the gallery was the only art institution in Limpopo and reached out to all artists from across the province, which offered limited opportunities to showcase talent.
Story: YOLANDE NEL
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Featured photo: Johanna Kaka, Chairperson of the Mayoral Portfolio Committee on Arts and Culture, congratulates Daniel Mphahlele on his exhibition.
