(Pic: “Self portrait (2008) - melted plastic on plastic)KZNSA hosts major exhibition of the work of Mbongeni Richman Buthelezi.
Currently running at the KZNSA is Imizwa Yami, an exhibition of key works from major series produced from 2007 to 2009. The artist feels that showing the collection in Durban is a symbolic returning to his place of birth.
Mbongeni Richman Buthelezi has developed a unique technique of art making using discarded plastics. Harnessing the melting properties of these plastics he paints, in impasto, solid forms burnt with a heat gun onto a thick roofing plastic surface. These unique works are often larger than life, and the artist works in extreme detail in both realistic and abstract depictions. Born in KwaZulu-Natal and raised in Springs, Buthelezi has moulded these worlds together and tries to make sense of his rural upbringing with his urban existence in his work.
His subject is almost biographical, which starts to emerge in the series Childhood where, with figurative images, he explores games in the township alongside stereotypical textbook images. It is in the black and white Jazzing it up and Winter in Kliptown series that one is able to sense this artist’s uncanny ability to use an unforgiving medium to capture an atmosphere, grain and the very subtle hues of his experiential grapplings.
Having studied at the Funda Centre in Soweto, Mbongeni Richman Buthelezi also holds a teacher training certificate from the Johannesburg Art Foundation and an Advanced Diploma in Fine Arts from the University of the Witwatersrand. He has been invited on a number of international residencies, including the Artelierrhaus Hoherweg (Dusseldorf), Vermont Studio Center (New York), OMI International Artists Center (New York) and Kunst-Raum Stylt: Quelle (Sylt Island and Wiesbaden).
Buthelezi has had solo exhibitions in Johannesburg at the Seippel Gallery, Everard Read Gallery, Johannesburg Art Gallery and Spark Gallery. He represented South Africa at the Cairo Biennale in 2007, The International Biennale for Contemporary Art Prague (2005) and participated in both of the Johannesburg Biennales (1995 and 1997). In 2004-2005 he had a travelling solo exhibition on tour to Museum Goch (Kunst Raum Sylt Quelle) and Seippel Gallery (Koln). Buthelezi has conducted workshops at the Museum of Art (Houston), Museum for African Art (New York), Royal State Theatre (London), The Drum (Birmingham), Conny Dietzschold Gallery (Sydney), Second Biennale, National Gallery (Prague) amongst others.
His works are in major collections including the Plastic Federation of South Africa (the largest collection of his early works), Daimler Art Collection, Mercedes Benz Collection, Museum for African Art, Coca Cola, The Development Bank of Southern Africa and numerous other private collections.
The exhibition is brought to the KZNSA Gallery courtesy of Seippel Galleries Johannesburg (South Africa) and Koln (Germany).
Imizwa Yami runs until March 20 at the KZNSA Gallery at 166 Bulwer Road, Glenwood, in Durban. More information on 031 277 1703, fax 031 201 8051 or cell 082 220 0368 or visit www.kznsagallery.co.za
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