BLESSING NGOBENI
BLESSING NGOBENI, Beautiful Shades of Corrupt States (triptych)
Mixed media on canvas, 191 x 336 cm
‘Borrowing from the language of Surrealism, the anarchy of Dada and the figurative violence of Neo-Expressionism, particularly the work of American artist, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Ngobeni’s paintings are characterized by obsessive mark making and littered with overt political references.’*
Blessing Ngobeni’s large canvases incorporate a range of cuttings, discarded materials and found objects. These unassuming materials are layered to create textured and powerful works which often reference artists who have influenced Ngobeni, both conceptually and aesthetically.
Having used his art to fearlessly critique the structures of power, overtly addressing the corruption, hypocrisy and greed of the contemporary ruling elite, this new triptych strikes a more jubilant note, the figures process exuberantly across the canvas, their dancing skirts in luminous shades of pink, red, blue and yellow.
* Vitamin P3 New Perspectives in Painting, Phaidon, 2016
Contact: info@everardlondon.com
Artist Portrait: Courtesy of Standard Bank
BLESSING NGOBENI, Us and Them II
Mixed media on paper, 110 x 110 cm
Blessing Ngobeni was born in the small town of Tzaneen, located in the largely rural Limpopo province of South Africa. He moved to the Johannesburg metropolis at a very young age, where he experienced many hardships, from living on the streets, to serving time in prison.
Ngobeni made the corruption, incompetence and duplicity of current South African ruling elite the subjects of his art. He tackles the disconcerting consequences of betraying democratic ideals, the failure to learn from historical tragedies and the expanding gap between the rich and poor. This critique is informed by Ngobeni’s own experience, the hardships and challenges he had to confront as a child and adolescent. As a result of his exceptional work and dedication to his practice, Ngobeni received the highly-prestigious Standard Bank Young Artist Award for the Visual Arts in 2020.
Specialists in contemporary art from South Africa. Established in 1913. South African artists are part of the global conversation. We seek to make their voices heard.