Controversial artist’s work removed
THE controversial artist who painted an explicit artwork of then-president Jacob Zuma sitting on Nelson Mandela’s lap has caused a stir at the Nelson Mandela Square centre in Sandton, Johannesburg, with an artwork erected on Wednesday.
Eastern Cape artist Ayanda Mabulu is no stranger to stirring controversy.
While some find his work distasteful and disrespectful‚ there are those who applaud his courage.
The square’s management said: “We are aware of the unsolicited‚ explicit imagery that was brought onto the property.
“It was removed immediately by the mall’s security, and the perpetrators were handed over to the police. The matter is subject to an official investigation.”
David Kutu‚ who witnessed the huge artwork being put up‚ said the artist’s work was not for the faint-hearted.
“I derived this from the responses I saw from people‚ especially older people,” he said. “Some were annoyed.
“There was a mixed reaction, but when asking Mabulu what he is trying to convey to us‚ you make sense of it all.”
In his explanation of the huge painting‚ Mabulu made it clear that everything that former president Nelson Mandela stood for‚ the Jacob Zuma leadership took away‚ Kutu said.
“Hence in one of his paintings‚ Mandela is in tears. That tore me apart as well.
“He’s liberated and confident,” Kutu said about King William’s Town-born Mabulu.
“He believes in freeing ourselves from fear of repercussions of our acts. “Mabulu articulates himself very well. “He is the one we should stand in awe of for breaking the silence.”
In one artwork, a monkey was seated on a throne‚ with a chain seemingly meant to put Zuma’s sons, Edward and Duduzane, on the leash – they were depicted as bulldogs.
Close to the monkey was another bulldog, labelled Khulubuse‚ Zuma’s nephew.
“He did explain the dogs. The main one on the throne is Zuma, and his private part is cut off‚” Kutu said. Edward Zuma is known for his vigorous defence of his father in the media‚ while Duduzane is said to be a beneficiary and middleman for the friendship between his father and the Gupta family.
Mabulu showcased his work on the same night Zuma rendered his resignation as president on television. – TimesLIVE