Mandela

A woodcut print titled, Mandela by the South African artist Motshile Wa Nthodi (b.1948). The black and white work depicts a man reaching for the moon and represents the former South African President Nelson Mandela. Mandela is an iconic global figure who changed the future of South Africa significantly, aiming to create a rainbow nation, where all cultures are represented. This woodcut by Wa Nthodi, represents President Mandela’s influence of new life and hope to the future of his home country. Short Biography: Motshile Wa Nthodi was born in 1948 and is a Pretoria-based artist. As an artist he is known to incorporate many symbolic elements in his work and his use of monochrome has significant meaning and connotations. Colours are symbolic, such as red represents ancestors, black represents life and yellow represents cosmic elements such as the sun, moon and stars. Wa Nthodi is passionate about promoting African tribal art as it represents one’s culture and roots within the stories it depicts. His work often exhibits the cultural traditions of the Ndebele, Shangaan and BaPedi people of South Africa.Wa Nthodi is the third eldest son of a large family of ten. He worked at the Ecole National Superior des Beaux-Art in Paris. His works have been used as illustrations for books published in several countries including The Netherlands and the US. Wa Nthodi participated in the International visitor program of the United States International Communication Agency. He has held twenty solo exhibitions in Europe and his works are held in public and private collections in Africa, Europe and the US, including an iconic work titled, The Calabash which was commissioned by Lufthansa Airlines. He has participated in more than eighty group exhibitions including Switzerland, England, France, Germany, Austria and in South Africa. Wa Nthodi was awarded membership to New York Contemporary Art Museum.