HONEST MHLANGA’S STAR KEEPS SHINING

 MBABANE – From topping the local artwork charts to presenting a portrait to the iconic Dr Esther Mahlangu, Honest Mhlanga is doing it all.

The talented fine artist continued to draw the spotlight to his work when he did a painting of the iconic Mahlangu live during the Africa Day celebrations. Mhlanga was invited by UJ Soweto Campus under the Department of Child Education to do a live painting of the legendary fine artist. The Africa Day celebrations took place last Friday.

Mhlanga said it took him an hour to produce the portrait. He said just like any other African fine artist, he was honoured to have been chosen to do the painting and further present it to the famous Ndebele artist.
Mhlanga said he could not share the worth of the painting as he believed that was confidential information between him and his client, however, he shared that it was a priceless masterpiece.

“I was honoured because Dr Esther Mahlangu is the pinnacle of African artists. She represents Africa through her Ndebele culture, so for me, this was more than humbling. From sharing the stage with her to doing a portrait of her live and actually presenting it  to her on the same day,” Mhlanga said.

Amazing

He described the experience as amazing and revealed that he would be printing and framing the photo he took with her. He said the deal to paint the portrait live manifested from the connections the fine artist has been making in South Africa.

He revealed that he received a commission directly from the University to do the painting, however, declined to share the exact figure that was given to him. While describing the moment when he presented the painting, Mhlanga said he could not believe it when the 82-year-old artist got emotional when she received the painting as it was a surprise to her.

“It was such a special moment for me as we kept the live painting as a surprise to her. She did not have an idea that I was painting during the event, so she was overjoyed and got emotional when I presented the painting,” he said.

Mhlanga added that the Africa Day celebrations meant a lot to him as he believed Africa deserved to be celebrated. He said this year’s celebration were the highlight of his career due to the special gift he prepared for Mahlangu.

Another artist who did the country proud during the Africa Day celebrations was Afro soul singer Zamo, who gave out a stellar performance during the SA Presidential Inauguration concert of the president-elect Cyril Ramaphosa.
The event was combined with the celebration of Africa Day. The celebrations are a reflection of how other African countries played their role in the democratic country that South Africa is now.

Zamo was chosen to represent the Siswati culture.
“It was definitely an international opportunity. I will never take it for granted. It was a moment that humbles me even more and makes me appreciate the many sacrifices I have made for this career,” Zamo said.

SWAMA President Melusi ‘Zox’ Dlamini was excited by the news as he said he was happy to see local artists joining the rest of Africa in celebrating the continent through their talents.

“It is great to receive such news. We are proud of our artists and we wish them all the best as they work their work up in the foreign land,” Dlamini said.
Coming back to the iconic South African artist, Mahlangu was conferred with an honorary doctorate by the University of Johannesburg last year. Mahlangu’s artistic journey began by following the Ndebele tradition of house painting.

Exhibited

 She has exhibited her work in some of the world’s most important museums and was the first woman to create a BMW art car. The legendary artist also established an informal art school in the backyard of her home. She is known for her bold large-scale contemporary paintings that reference her Ndebele heritage.
Mahlangu’s art references patterns are found in clothing and jewellery of the Ndebele people. The patterns she uses are typically very colourful and geometric. Her paintings are large in scale.

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