Objects
Discover some of the ready-mades that Esther Mahlangu has reimagined through umgwalo over the course of her career
By Art of Contemporary Africa
Content curated around the "Then I Knew I Was Good at Painting": Esther Mahlangu, A Retrospective exhibition
"I also realise that the old must change, otherwise it dies and nobody wants to just look at the old; the new people I meet overseas want to see new works and new designs and that’s why I always try to [do] something new with my work."
-Mahlangu 2017
WAM installationArt of Contemporary Africa
Objects beyond fashionable
Not all of the objects that Mahlangu has painted are featured as brand collaborations or commissions. They are also not always accessible to the broader public, in the same way as those featured in the Fashionable Brand Collaborations and Fashionable Footwear stories.
Ndebele artists have a long-standing tradition of painting on both three-dimensional and portable objects, encompassing items for everyday use, as well as purely artistic creations. However, our research indicates that Esther Mahlangu has extended this practice to a more diverse and extensive range of objects. This expansion of painted objects reflects an adaptation of umgwalo in response to the increasing commercial availability of new materials and forms.
Installation view of Gallery 4 (2023)Art of Contemporary Africa
Mahlangu's Range of Objects: Helmets
The first objects we look at in this story are the wearable items turned objet d'art; helmets. The work 'Helmut', pictured here (dated 2012), is one of a few examples of helmets. There is an earlier one (dated 2006) painted with almost identical motifs.
The 2006 helmet titled 'Soldiering, A Head' is what we have on record as the first helmet she ever painted. This work was painted on a vintage metal South African Army helmet worn during many battles in or near Angola. It was created for and displayed by the Kyle Kaufmann Gallery in New York (USA) for a 2008 solo exhibition called 'Esther Mahlangu: Reacquiring'.
Objects painted for 'Esther Mahlangu: Reacquiring'
The exhibition at Kyle Kaufmann Gallery in 2008 presented a wide variety of objects painted by Mahlangu. It included birds (seen on the right corner of this image) and the 2006 helmet (bottom left corner) as well as other artifacts and objects referencing the Apartheid era.
The helmets aren't the only case where we see a repeat of near identical patterns over the course of many years between. The left image shows part of the umgwalo that Mahlangu painted in 1994 on the building that had recently been acquired by the National Museum of Women in the Arts (USA). The work on the right mirrors the form but is actually the coat of arms for the South African Police Service and becomes a 2006 work titled 'Out of Unity, Strength'.
WAM installationArt of Contemporary Africa
'Makarapa' helmets
These helmets, painted in the 2021 series, are called makarapa. This reference to makarapa relates to the hand-cut and hand-painted variation of this hat, which is often worn by South African fans at sports games. Broader historical significance of this object follows.
The origin of the term 'makarapa' goes back to the start of mining in South Africa. The word 'makarapa' literally meant "scrapers" in isiXhosa, referring to men who would leave the rural areas to go to the cities and "scrape" a living in mining and construction work. By Apartheid laws, these workers tended to be migrants. Upon returning from work, they would be carrying or wearing these hard hats and eventually the term came to refer to the protective hats themselves.
Installation view of Gallery 3 corner installation (2023)Art of Contemporary Africa
Mahlangu's range of objects: the TV
In 2003, for her solo exhibition at UCT Irma Stern Museum, Mahlangu painted this 'Ndebele TV'. Unlike the makarapas, it's not an object she continues to paint, nor one in a series. This is the only TV Mahlangu has painted and the only one of its kind.
This work features an uncommon use of more broadly read symbols. For example, in the centre image, we see the red HIV/AIDS ribbon. This international symbol for AIDS awareness and support for people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS does not feature on any of her other works; even when she participates in the Belvedere(RED) Campaign specifically aimed at this cause. On the far left and right, is the South African flag, which does not feature on other objects to date.
Mahlangu's range of objects: the skull
This 'untitled' skull was painted in 2012 and, much like the TV, this is a one of kind work. Notably, it features both painted work and beadwork.
Mahlangu's range of objects: the mannequins
We first see the mannequins appear in 2003 for Mahlangu's first solo exhibition at the UCT Irma Stern Museum in South Africa. They continue to feature in her practice such as this work, displayed in the same museum over a decade later, for Esther Mahlangu 80 in 2015.
Pictured above on the right and left are back and front view of a mannequin painted for her 2003 solo Esther Mahlangu and in the center, another mannequin painted for the work done in 2015 for Esther Mahlangu 80.
Installation view of Esther Mahlangu's Retrospective: Then I Knew I Was Good At Painting (2023)Art of Contemporary Africa
Dimension in Mahlangu's practice
When placed in context to Mahlangu's two-dimensional acrylic works, as seen here, the relationship between how she treats surfaces is reminiscent of how she phrased her work on the BMW Art Car:
"I didn’t think I’d be able to paint a car, it was a totally new challenge but they insisted so I thought about it and I said ‘yes, I’ll paint it because it looks like a wall. It simply looks like a wall to me.’ "
-Mahlangu in a 2005 Interview BMW documentary
Translated to English by BMWGroup
Mahlangu trayArt of Contemporary Africa
Mahlangu's range of objects: the trays
This tray was painted in 2014 but the practice of painting on these tea/serving trays is something that likely extends back much further. According to our research, Mahlangu painted trays such as these and sold them to tourists or offered them as gifts to collectors and visitors.
Installation view of Esther Mahlangu's Retrospective: Then I Knew I Was Good At Painting (2023)Art of Contemporary Africa
Mahlangu's range of objects: continues...
In the exhibition '"Then I Knew I Was Good at Painting": Esther Mahlangu, A Retrospective', Dr Nontobeko Ntombela curated a large collection of these objects in ways that both pushed and grounded Mahlangu's practice.
The images in this story were graciously offered by Esther Mahlangu's Family Archives during the course of research and exhibition documentation of "Then I Knew I Was Good at Painting": Esther Mahlangu, A Retrospective (2024-2025).
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