Esther Mahlangu - the creation of Serpentine Mural

Mahlangu typically uses natural pigments mixed with clay, soil and cow dung to paint directly on the exteriors of structures in her village. Rather than using stencils and tape to achieve lines and shapes, she paints by hand with chicken feathers and an array of different brushes.

Esther Mahlangu also works with acrylic paints on canvas, which allows her to explore different scales and a broader colour palette. The mural displayed at Serpentine was painted on marine plywood.

Mahlangu’s work was first shown internationally in Paris at the seminal exhibition Les Magiciens de la Terre (Magicians of the World) in Grande Halle de la Villette in 1989.

Mahlangu exhibited widely and created a large number of site-specific murals, in addition to ceramic pots, skateboards, trainers and other objects of everyday use. In 1991, she was the first woman invited to paint the BMW  Art Car – a prestigious commission started in 1975.