Ndebele art of Esther Mahlangu
Ndebele superstar artist Esther Mahlangu shares her plans of building an academy in her name
VIBRANT Ndebele designs adorn thatched cottages that dot the idyllic countryside and it almost feels as though we’re driving through one of the paintings by the acclaimed artist herself. As we pull up in front of Esther Mahlangu’s home we half expect to see the BMW she decorated in the bright shapes that have become her signature.
But there are no cars – decorated or otherwise – anywhere in sight. Instead we’re greeted by the celebrated painter, a technicolour umbalo (Ndebele blanket) around her shoulders, looking cool and calm despite the broiling midday sun in Weltevrede in Nkangala, Mpumalanga.
She does have a car, the remarkable 81-year-old says with a chuckle as she welcomes us. It too is a luxury vehicle and it also sports her paintings. “But it’s at the mechanic,” she says. Proof that normal things happen to everyone – even artists with careers spanning more than four decades.
Esther’s artworks have earned her global acclaim and she was recently honoured with a mural in New York that pays tribute to her striking body of work.
And it isn’t just any old mural tucked away down a street in the sprawling Manhattan metropolis.
This one, by US artist Imani Shanklin Roberts, spans a two-lane road near Lower Manhattan and showcases the Ndebele patterns and symbols that have become synonymous with Esther’s work.
She was invited to the Big Apple to oversee the painting and she’s “very pleased” with the finished product, she says.
Esther has been to New York several times – once as the guest of a vodka brand that also had Grammy-winning American singer John Legend on board.
But these days it isn’t the jet-setter lifestyle that excites her: her latest passion project is getting the Esther Mahlangu Academy off the ground.
“I’ve been teaching kids for a long time without any expectation of payment,” she says. “But I could really use a building. When my students come we have to hold our classes under a tree.
“The government promised to build classrooms and I could use any help I get. It’s my wish to teach kids about their heritage.”
ESTHER has had many highlights in her career but she still recalls the day 26 years ago that led to her becoming a global sensation. In 1991 she was approached to paint a BMW like other famous international artists such as Andy Warhol had previously done, and she was the first woman to be commissioned for the project.
“That was a great gig,” she says. “Working on it was fun. I painted the whole car in Joburg and once it was done it was shipped off to France. It took me two weeks to do the whole thing .”
Esther has been interested in the arts since she was a little girl and was inspired by her grandmother, Kgeiseng Kulube, a talented painter.
In the ’40s she became an expert in the Ndebele art of wall painting, traditionally done only by women on village buildings.
She’s since successfully elevated the
practice of Ndebele art and culture on a global scale and is now the poster woman of the bold painting design, which is done without any measuring instruments and painted with feathers.
Her career started to take off in the late ’80s before that BMW gig “really got me out there”.
“Prior to that I was a painter at Botshabelo gallery [in Middelburg]. Doing the [car] was great fun. Some people who were close to that project were sceptical – they thought I was going to botch the work but I told them to relax, it was my job.
“Next I did a caravan in Bordeaux in France. It took me three weeks to do the whole thing.”
The Bordeaux assignment was one of her first overseas projects and she insisted on taking a bag of mealie meal with her. “What was I going to eat?” she says. “Pap and morogo are about all I eat.”
These days mealie meal is easier to get overseas so she no longer packs a bag in her luggage – and when she really feels like stepping out she’ll order lamb in a restaurant, she says.
Esther collaborated with BMW again last year, designing the interior of a vehicle, which was then sold on auction to an anonymous bidder.
The proceeds went to the British charity organisation The Art Room, which provides art-based therapy for children and young people.
She also collaborated with Legend to design a limited-edition Belvedere Vodka bottle for the manufacturer’s #MakeADifference Aids awareness campaign.
Esther’s contribution was her distinctive Ndebele art. “The bottles were all decorated here,” she explains. “When I was done I told them to come and collect them and they invited me to New York.
“They took me to schools where I had workshops. Together with John Legend we did a few things on that project.”
So what was he like? “He was lovely to work with,” she replies. “I do recognise his voice on the radio when I hear a tune. He sings well and he’s got a lovely wife and a child.” That’s model Chrissy Teigen and Insta-famous baby Luna she’s talking about!
FOR all her success, Esther is seemingly indifferent to the global recognition associated with her name. “I was raised well – to respect people,” she says. “Humility and respect are some of the values I hope I’ve passed on to my grandchildren.”
Esther has 10 grandkids but all three her sons have passed away – one in infancy and two in adulthood – and she doesn’t want to dwell on personal pain.
Despite being well pass retirement age, Esther is showing no sign of slowing down. She has a team of seven full-time employees, whose projects include beading and painting, and most of her clientele is based in Europe and America.
“I don’t remember the galleries where my work is currently on display,” she says. “But when the paintings sell they call me and send the money.”
Her grandchildren often help her with the financial side of the business.
“I’ve never set my foot inside a conventional classroom,” Esther says. “You can get education anywhere.
“When I travel overseas I’m exposed to new cultures and designs and it’s an opportunity to observe other artists. It’s fun but I’ll stick to my Ndebele designs. They really got me and the Ndebele heritage out there into the world.”
Does she have any plans to retire at all? “I can’t,” she says, chuckling.
“Really, I can’t. I’ll keep on painting as long as the body allows. I paint everyday and if I’m not painting I do beadwork.”
And then of course there’s the academy she hopes to get off the ground. “I need to pass on my craft to as many people as I can. The heritage mustn’t die.”
‘When my students come we have to hold our classes under a tree’