Holding pattern: A retrospective exhibition of Esther Mahlangu’s work, which references Ndebele painting, a practice passed down the generations, is on at Wits Art Museum. Photo: Supplied
The Wits Art Museum this week unveiled Then I Knew I Was Good at Painting: Esther Mahlangu, A Retrospective, a profound opportunity to engage with the legendary South African’s artistry beyond the familiar contours of her biography.
There have been numerous exhibitions of the 89-year-old’s works — characterised by bold, geometric designs and vibrant colours rooted in Ndebele culture — and in many parts of the world.
Mahlangu rose to international prominence in 1991 when she became the first woman, and the first African artist, to paint a BMW Art Car, joining an illustrious list of global artists such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein.
Since then, her work has been featured on major exhibitions and collaborations worldwide, including partnerships with luxury brands such as Rolls-Royce and the Centre Pompidou gallery in Paris, France.
Born in 1935 in Middelburg, Mpumalanga, Mahlangu is one of South Africa’s most venerated visual artists. She began painting at the age of 10, learning the traditional Ndebele art of mural painting from her mother and grandmother.
The retrospective traces a timeline of her work from 1980, when she was at the Middelburg Cultural History Museum, to 1989, when she exhibited a mural at Musée d’Angoulême, a public museum in Angoulême, France. It takes us from the first documentary on Mahlangu, titled Esther Se Wêreld (Esther’s world), which aired on TV1 that same year, and beyond, right up to last year.
So, the first and only thing I ask Nontobeko Ntombela, curator of the exhibition and a lecturer in the department of curatorial, public, and visual cultures at the Wits School of Arts, earlier this week is: “Why is this one different?”
She replied: “Then I Knew I Was Good at Painting: Esther Mahlangu, A Retrospective invites a reconsideration of Mahlangu’s work, urging us to look deeper into its symbolism, history and global resonance.”
While the artist has been celebrated all over the world, Ntombela notes that much of Mahlangu’s artistic complexity remains under-explored within South Africa.
“We often think we have seen all of her,” Ntombela says. “The reason why this exhibition is important is because of the archive, which demonstrates the breadth of her work and how far she has produced work outside South Africa.”
The exhibition emphasises the power of the archive, not as a definitive record, but as a space to uncover.
Ntombela describes it as an invitation to question and explore.
“Often, when we see a timeline, we think, ‘Well, you start from A and you end at B.’ But, in between that, there are things that are omitted. As you go through the archive, you will see a relationship and a correlation between what is captured and what is not captured,” she explains.
This approach is particularly significant in the context of South African art history. For an artist such as Mahlangu, whose practice emerged in the early 1980s within specific cultural frameworks, Ntombela urges us to consider what this means for understanding her work today.
“Often, the biggest challenge in South African art history is this focus on the biography of the artist, rather than sitting and really understanding what it means to be talking about the emergence of practice in the early Eighties,” she says.
Mahlangu’s work, which is rooted in Ndebele traditions, is rich with symbols and motifs that carry layered meanings.
Many might not fully grasp the depth of these symbols, Ntombela said: “In the context of South Africa, we often think we have seen it all, but there are people who can’t dissect some of the symbolism in her work.”
Through careful grouping and contextualisation, the exhibition seeks to unravel these layers. It presents Mahlangu’s designs as not merely decorative forms, but as carriers of cultural, historical and spiritual significance.
Ntombela sees this as an essential step towards a fuller understanding of her legacy.
“Much more still needs to be written about her work,” she emphasises.
The curator hopes this retrospective will challenge audiences to reconsider their understanding of Mahlangu’s work.
By shifting the focus from her personal story to the intricacies of her practice, the exhibition reframes her legacy within a broader artistic and historical context.
It is a call to move beyond the surface, to engage with the depth and breadth of her work.
In the words of Ntombela: “A Retrospective is about this history — but do I really know what this history is about apart from the biography of this individual, in this case being Esther Mahlangu?”
At the Wits Art Museum, the journey to answer that question has only just begun.Then I Knew I Was Good at Painting: Esther Mahlangu, A Retrospective is on show at Wits Art Museum until 17 April.