The Springs Art Gallery (SAG) is delighted to announce news of their newest exhibition, Coloured Souls, which is a series of new work by Xolani Mbonani.
The exhibition started on November 3 and ends on November 30.
Mbonani was born on August 22, 1980, in KwaThema and attended Muzomusha Primary School in KwaThema, then moved and completed his high school education at Alrapark Secondary School in Springs.
Prior to this, he joined and attended art classes under the influence and guidance of respected artist, teacher and mentor Paul Madi Phala (1955 – 2007), where he first started taking art seriously.
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Mbonani studied and trained as a printmaker at the Artist Proof Studio in Johannesburg and received a three-year certificate in printmaking.
Although Mbonani has built on his own style and visual language, the influence of Phala is noticeable.
His work explores and depicts abstract figurative themes, sometimes derived from real object sources and intentional in its celebration of Africa and its people.
Mbonani’s painterly approach and use of colour are strong, not only due to the commercial market for African art, but perhaps more so the way that he portrays people in aesthetically simple practical experiences.
“I paint from the heart, mainly African portraiture, and I’m currently making works that depict my cultural heritage,” says Mbonani.
Mbonani uses various styles such as oils, acrylics and pastels and also uses canvas, paper and boards to paint on.
He says he mainly likes to paint on textured canvas and making dry-point prints or linocut.
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With this new solo series, the SAG aims to raise public awareness of emerging visual artists by providing opportunities to meet the artist and see their work at a location in Ekurhuleni.
The exhibition is part of the gallery’s experimental solo/group series project idea which focuses on launching new careers of emerging and promising artists. The project idea explores and illustrates creativity, thoughts, new ideas and reveals the role of art in dealing with everyday life challenges.
The project idea is further aimed at contributing to the awareness, promotion, revival and enrichment of SAG as an art resource centre.
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