We Love Mandela: Art inspired by Madiba is the culmination of numerous art exhibitions held during Mandela’s milestone birthdays, namely his 90th and most recently held for his 94th birthday.
The theme of the show is: Inspired by Mandela. Artists were invited to highlight his or her feelings about Mandela which could include some of the following aspects of Mandela’s life: the sacrifices, the contribution, the values he espoused, the success or failure of his ideals or a personal response to the uniqueness of the man.
The exhibition, which is free of entry charge and from which no artworks will be sold, will showcase a significant collection of art including paintings, sculpture, photography, cartoons, beadwork, prints and gold medallions from a variety of artists. It is destined to be showcased in other world capitals following its London launch.
The exhibition is a precursor to South Africa’s celebration of 20 years of democracy in 2014. London has been earmarked for the international launch following the City’s longstanding contribution to the fight against apartheid, which included concerts at Wembley, numerous rallies held on Trafalgar Square and an active fight from a number of key British political figures.
The artists include Wayne Barker, Richard Chauke, Loren Hodes, David Koloane Kagisa Pat Mautloa, Billy and Jane Makhubele, Johannes Maswanganyi, Collen Maswanganyi, Rankadi Daniel Mosako, Velaphi Mzimba, Roy Ndinisa, Len Sak, Jurgen Schadeberg, Joachim Schonfeldt, Eric Sher, Dean Simon, Alfred Thoba, Lena Woolf, Susan Woolf and Zapiro.
The exhibition includes a reproduction of the acclaimed Mandela portrait by world-renowned British artist, Richard Stone, who will be present at the launch sharing his experience of working with Madiba on a number of occasions.
Curator Natalie Knight commented, “Some of these artists were severely disadvantaged during the Apartheid era and were only able to fulfil their talent after the release of Mandela and the birth of a democratic South Africa 1994. Others actively used resistance art in the fight against Apartheid.”
Knight added, “There is a diversity of imagery and the artists have been very creative in expressing their admiration for Nelson Mandela. The mood varies from the delightful humour in Zapiro’s cartoons to serious explorations by Dean Simon using ‘The Last Supper” as his theme. A full colour catalogue is available as a record of the show.”
Entry for the exhibition is free to the public.
We Love Mandela Exhibition, South Africa House October 3 to 16. www.welovemandela.com