Phillemon Hlungwani · 2019. 5. 24. · 16 17 Loko munhu a famba a ri yexe, a swi pfuni ;swi sasekile ku famba ni vanwana (Version I) (You will only achieve good things when you do

From Giyani to Alexandra – the journey continues

Phillemon Hlungwani

2 3

3 MARCH TO 16 APRIL 2016

From Giyani to Alexandra – the journey continues

Phillemon Hlungwani

4 5

Almost twenty years ago a very young man left

his home village near Giyani in Limpopo Province

to take up a scholarship at the Johannesburg Art

Foundation.

He left behind a community that although des-

perately poor was comfortably familiar. A village

like a thousand others in Africa – dominated by

elderly women eking out a living from crops, the

gleaning of wild foodstuffs and the occasional in-

jection of cash from men working in the city.

It was a society closer in technology and rhythm

to the 19th century than the late 20th, with an

occasional radio being an anachronism amidst

the sounds of goat-bells, children playing, chick-

ens and barking dogs. The cycle of seasons and

harvest were punctuated by births, weddings and

funerals and one year was much the same as the

next.

The abrupt transition from this bucolic existence

to the raw, polluted, noisy and, above all, crowd-

ed township of Alexandra was electrifying to the

young man. He had moved not only geographi-

cally but in time as well, from a world lit by fire

and paraffin to a place that never slept, was filled

with the sounds of mobile phones, televisions, air-

planes and helicopters, police sirens and taxi hoot-

ers. Where hustlers and gangsters were rife and

shebeens and shops were open round the clock.

He had it very hard. He slept in a friend’s taxi but

had to get up at 4:00am before the driver start-

ed work. He then washed taxis to make enough

money for food before the long walk to Saxon-

wold and the Art Foundation – there to immerse

himself in the discipline of his chosen field before

walking home again at night.

The above reads like a fairytale, but it is a true

story with a happy ending. I have left out the

years of struggle and dedication in the pursuit of

his craft, but in over forty years of close contact

with many, many artists I have never seen such de-

served success or such extraordinary natural talent

linked to techniques honed to perfection.

Early in the conceptualising of the exhibition,

Hlungwani made an extraordinary decision: he

resolved to make two versions of each work with

the exhibition in the Cape being a mirror image

of the show in Gauteng. To my knowledge this is

unique to him and displays

phenomenal mental discipline and drawing skills

– each work is superficially the same as its counter-

part but on examination proves to be very different.

Although they won’t be seen together, this adds a

poignancy and intrigue to the body of work.

The etchings on this exhibition, although hand-

coloured by the artist, were printed by Pontsho

Sikhosana under Hlungwanui’s supervision. Pon-

tsho is a master printer and her perfectionism and

close collaboration with the artist is essential to

the success of each print.

Phillemon would like to pay tribute to his

teachers of Hanyani Thomo High School, Muxe

Mthombeni and Queen Mtileni for giving him his

first art classes – as well as to the Artist Proof Stu-

dio for his initial education in print-making.

From Giyani to Alexandra – the journey continues

An exhibition of drawings and etchings by Phillemon Hlungwani

FRONT COVER

Nkuwa wa le ndleleni wu hanyisa vanhu (Version II)(If you show what you have, don’t be surprised if other people want it)charcoal and pastel on paper2015141 x 160 cm

PAGE 1

Ku xura i ku tirha (Version II) (detail)(If you work hard, you will never be hungry)charcoal and pastel on paper2015141 x 158 cm

PAGE 2–3

Ri nwana ra masiku hi ta hlambanyisa vamaseve, swi ta hela ku xaniseka II (Version II) (detail)(One day we will look back and be surprised at how far we had to go to collect our water)charcoal and pastel on paper2015151 x 160 cm

LEFT

Ndlela hi komba hi lava va nga rhanga va yi famba. II (Version II) (detail)(The old people can show us where to go because they have experienced it before)charcoal and pastel on paper2015140 x 160 cm

TRENT READ

6 7

Ndlela hi komba hi lava va nga rhanga va yi famba. l (Version I)(The old people can show us where to go because they have experienced it before)charcoal and pastel on paper2015151 x 225 cm

Ndlela hi komba hi lava va nga rhanga va yi famba. l (Version II)(The old people can show us where to go because they have experienced it before)charcoal and pastel on paper2015151 x 225 cm

8 9

Makwavo a hi kongomi ekaya, vatshwari va hi rindzini. ALEX (Version I)(Younger brother, we are going home. Our parents are waiting for us)charcoal and pastel on paper2015151 x 225 cm

Makwavo a hi kongomi ekaya, vatshwari va hi rindzini. ALEX (Version II)(Younger brother, we are going home. Our parents are waiting for us)charcoal and pastel on paper2015151 x 225 cm

10 11

Ku xonga ka nwansati i mi ntirho leyi nen. l (Version I)(Women show their beauty through what they do)charcoal and pastel on paper2015151 x 161 cm

Ku xonga ka nwansati i mi ntirho leyi nen. l (Version II)(Women show their beauty through what they do)charcoal and pastel on paper2015151 x 161 cm

1312

Masungulo lamanene ya vevukisa ntirho (Version I)(When you do the work you were meant to do, you will achieve great things)charcoal and pastel on paper2015140 x 160 cm

Masungulo lamanene ya vevukisa ntirho (Version II)(When you do the work you were meant to do, you will achieve great things)charcoal and pastel on paper2015140 x 160 cm

14 15

Ku xonga ka nwansati i mi ntirho leyi nene. ll (Version I)(Women show their beauty through what they do)charcoal and pastel on paper2015140 x 160 cm

Ku xonga ka nwansati i mi ntirho leyi nene. ll (Version II)(Women show their beauty through what they do)charcoal and pastel on paper2015140 x 160 cm

16 17

Loko munhu a famba a ri yexe, a swi pfuni ;swi sasekile ku famba ni vanwana (Version I)(You will only achieve good things when you do not walk alone)charcoal and pastel on paper2015141 x 161 cm

Loko munhu a famba a ri yexe, a swi pfuni ;swi sasekile ku famba ni vanwana (Version II)(You will only achieve good things when you do not walk alone)charcoal and pastel on paper2015141 x 161 cm

18 19

Nkuwa wa le ndleleni wu hanyisa vanhu (Version I)(If you show what you have, don’t be surprised if other people want it)charcoal and pastel on paper2015141 x 160 cm

Nkuwa wa le ndleleni wu hanyisa vanhu (Version II)(If you show what you have, don’t be surprised if other people want it)charcoal and pastel on paper2015141 x 160 cm

20 21

Ku xura i ku tirha (Version I)(If you work hard, you will never be hungry)charcoal and pastel on paper2015141 x 158 cm

Ku xura i ku tirha (Version II)(If you work hard, you will never be hungry)charcoal and pastel on paper2015141 x 158 cm

22 23

Homu yo tshama yi nga humi exivaleni ku ya dya byasi a yi na vulongo (Version I)(If you never leave your homestead, you will never prosper)charcoal and pastel on paper2015151 x 160 cm

Homu yo tshama yi nga humi exivaleni ku ya dya byasi a yi na vulongo (Version II)(If you never leave your homestead, you will never prosper)charcoal and pastel on paper2015151 x 160 cm

24 25

Ri nwana ra masiku hi ta hlambanyisa vamaseve, swi ta hela ku xaniseka. I (Version I)(One day we will look back and be surprised at how far we had to go to collect our water)charcoal and pastel on paper2015151 x 160 cm

Ri nwana ra masiku hi ta hlambanyisa vamaseve, swi ta hela ku xaniseka. I (Version II)(One day we will look back and be surprised at how far we had to go to collect our water)charcoal and pastel on paper2015151 x 160 cm

26 27

Ri nwana ra masiku hi ta hlambanyisa vamaseve, swi ta hela ku xaniseka II (Version I)(One day we will look back and be surprised at how far we had to go to collect our water)charcoal and pastel on paper2015151 x 160 cm

Ri nwana ra masiku hi ta hlambanyisa vamaseve, swi ta hela ku xaniseka II (Version II)(One day we will look back and be surprised at how far we had to go to collect our water)charcoal and pastel on paper2015151 x 160 cm

28 29

Selborn Street and 11th Avenue, ALEX I (Version I)charcoal and pastel on paper2015140 x 160 cm

Selborn Street and 11th Avenue, ALEX I (Version II)charcoal and pastel on paper2015140 x 160 cm

30 31

Ndlela hi komba hi lava va nga rhanga va yi famba. II (Version I)(The old people can show us where to go because they have experienced it before)charcoal and pastel on paper2015140 x 160 cm

Ndlela hi komba hi lava va nga rhanga va yi famba. II (Version II)(The old people can show us where to go because they have experienced it before)charcoal and pastel on paper2015140 x 160 cm

32 33

Ndlela hi komba hi lava va nga rhanga va yi famba. III (Version I)(The old people can show us where to go because they have experienced it before)charcoal and pastel on paper2015140 x 170 cm

Ndlela hi komba hi lava va nga rhanga va yi famba. III (Version II)(The old people can show us where to go because they have experienced it before)charcoal and pastel on paper2015140 x 170 cm

34 35

Selborn Street and 10th Avenue, ALEX ll (Version I)charcoal and pastel on paper201570 x 105 cm

Selborn Street and 10th Avenue, ALEX ll (Version II)charcoal and pastel on paper201570 x 105 cm

36 37

No: 38 1st Avenue PAN AFRICA, ALEX l (Version I)charcoal and pastel on paper201570 x 115 cm

No: 38 1st Avenue PAN AFRICA, ALEX l (Version II)charcoal and pastel on paper201570 x 115 cm

38 39

No:36 1st Avenue PAN AFRICA, ALEX ll (Version I)charcoal and pastel on paper201570 x 115 cm

No:36 1st Avenue PAN AFRICA, ALEX ll (Version II)charcoal and pastel on paper201570 x 115 cm

40 41

John Brand Street and 7th Avenue, ALEX III (Version I)charcoal and pastel on paper201570 x 105 cm

John Brand Street and 7th Avenue, ALEX III (Version II)charcoal and pastel on paper201570 x 105 cm

42 43

(Kaya a ri lahli munhu, imunhu a rivalaka ekaya) Thomo Village II(Even if you don’t go back to your people, they won’t forget you)etching 201582 x 141 cm

(Kaya a ri lahli munhu, imunhu a rivalaka ekaya) Thomo Village I(Even if you don’t go back to your people, they won’t forget you)etching201582 x 141 cm

(Ndhwalo va ringetela emakatleni) Alex I(The bigger your problems, the harder you must work – and you will overcome them)etching201582 x 141 cm

(Ku hava xoxi endla handle kaku hlevana) Alex II(Those who gossip have nothing better to do than gossip)etching201582 x 141 cm

44 45

PAGE 44 ABOVE

Vusweti byi onga malolo(Sometimes poverty can make you complacent)etching2015103 x 141 cm

PAGE 44 BELOW

Vutlarhi(The wisdom of old people)etching2015103 x 141 cm

THIS PAGE

Tihlo ra ndlala rini Vuntshwakaetching2015103 x 141 cm

46 47

(Matimba ya Mati) Ietching201531 x 40 cm

Matimba ya Mati IIetching201531 x 40 cm

48 49

Matimba ya Mati IIIetching201531 x 40 cm

Matimba ya Mati IVetching201531 x 40 cm

50 51

Phillemon Hlungwani

THE WORK

Phillemon Hlungwani is recognised at one of the

most accomplished contemporary artists now

working in South Africa. Known predominantly

for his large-scale charcoal drawings depict-

ing scenes from rural life and formal and infor-

mal settlements, his work is rooted deeply in a

sense of community and the traditional values

that endure there. Many of his recent drawings

include proverbs in his first language – xiTsonga

– as titles. These proverbs are often difficult to

translate into English but they communicate an

essential moral idea – showing how members of

a particular community are either sustaining or

betraying the values of the people living there.

The people are inseparable from their environ-

ment, although his more recent images have in-

troduced colour into the clothing of his protago-

nists to help them stand out in all their vibrancy

and humanity. The scenes he depicts are usually

full of motion and life – the characters bursting

with thoughts, opinions and yearnings, which are

communicated further through the arcs and lines

that weave the different parts of each drawing

together. Everything is connected. There is no dis-

tinction between the internal or the external, the

animate or inanimate, the material or the spir-

itual. As a boy, Hlungwani used to herd goats and

cattle and look after chickens – and this relation-

ship with the animal world is often present in his

work. Trees were also a source of shade and food

– both for animals and people – as well as pro-

viding places for community debates, ceremonies

and prayer. Sometimes, as in the work entitled

Vutlarhi bya lava kulu ka hina (The Wisdom of the Old

People), trees embody and stand for the human –

carrying in their roots and leaves and fruit all that

has passed beneath them. Hlungwani is suggest-

ing throughout his work that people who live in

the simplest places with few possessions can still

lead good, dignified lives and remain happy. They

may have places to go and things to do, but they

know who they are – where they have come from

and where they are going.

BIOGRAPHY

Phillemon Hlungwani was born in Thomo Village,

Giyani, in the Limpopo Province. He attended

Thomo Primary School and Hanyani Thomo High

School, where he developed his skills under the

guidance of his art teacher, motivator and friend

Muxe Moses Mthombeni – and Queen Mtileni.

Having attained an A for Art in Matric, Hlungwani

studied at the Johannesburg Art Foundation be-

fore studying printmaking under the mentorship

of Kim Berman, the late Nhlahla Xaba and Osiah

Masukameng at the Artist Proof Studio. Hlung-

wani later completed a teacher’s training course in

Art at the WITS School of Art. He has since been

based at the Artist Proof Studio, where he has fa-

cilitated classes, been a unit manager for paper-

making and was the coordinator for community

outreach and special projects at the studio. He has

also worked in a range of advisory and mentor-

ing projects. Sponsored by the prestigious Amper-

sand Foundation Fellowship, Hlungwani went on

an extensive study tour of printmaking studios in

the United States. In addition to his drawing and

graphic work, Hlungwani has completed and facil-

itated many wall murals including the mural at the

Standard Bank Art Gallery (for the Picasso in Af-

rica exhibition) and the mural for Bell Dewar and

Hall. He has also been commissioned by the JDA

(Johannesburg Development Agencies), MTN and

the South African Governmental offices. Awards

include winning the King Korn competition (2000

and 2001) and the SABC Radio Station Munghana

Lonene FM Log Design Award (2003). He was also

one of the finalists for the Absa Gallery competi-

tion in 2001, 2002 and 2009.

GROUP SHOWS

1997 Polokwane Art Museum

2000 Polokwane Art Museum

2000 Heritage Day for Arts and Culture

Exhibition in Belgium

2003 The Gallery Premises and the Johannesburg

Art Gallery

2005 Touring exhibition to the Gulf of OMAN

Community Art Center, Qatar Hotel, Salala

2006 Gallery on the Square, Nelson Mandela

Square

Spark Gallery

Art on Paper

UJ former RAU Gallery

2007 Thomson Art Gallery in Melville

SASOL, Rosebank

2008 Knysna Fine Art

David Brown Fine Art, Johannesburg

Aspire Contemporary Art Gallery, Pretoria

Gallery on the Square, Nelson Mandela

Square

2009 Exhibited in Johannesburg Art Fair with

Everard Read Gallery, Johannesburg, and

the Artist Proof Studio

2009 ABSA L’Atelier Art competition finalist

Printmaking Council of New Jersey ‘Studio

Arrabbiata’

Boston Art Academy

RENDEZVOUS Focus original lithography,

an exhibition of more than 100 South

African and French artists’ artworks touring

and exhibited in South Africa.

Gallery on the Square, Nelson Mandela

Square (Titled: ‘The 50s: An Interpretation’)

2010 ‘A View from the South’, Everard Read

Gallery, Johannesburg

2011 FNB Johannesburg Art Fair

Horse Exhibition (multiple views of a singular

beast at Circa and Everard Read Gallery)

Art Angels Charity Art Auction

2012 India Art Fair, the 4th Edition of India

Modern and Contemporary Art Fair

The 21st birthday celebration of Artist Proof

Studio exhibition, Johannesburg Art Gallery

FNB Johannesburg Art Fair

2013 Art 13 London

2014 FNB Johannesburg Art Fair

2015 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair London

2016 CIRCA London

SOLO SHOWS

2000 First one-man show in Soweto, sponsored

by Kaya FM, The Sowetan, Sunday World

and Absolut Vodka

2006 The Gallery Premises, Braamfontein, JHB

2008 ABSA Gallery in Johannesburg, (Titled:

‘Xitsonga I ndzuti wa Xigaza’/The Tsonga is

the Shadow of Xigaza)

2009 The Irma Stern Museum in Cape Town

Everard Read Gallery, Johannesburg (Titled:

‘Tshungulo wuyisiwa e mahlweni’/ The

Healing Process).

2011 Everard Read Gallery Johannesburg

Knysna Fine Art

2013 John Martin Gallery London – Cullinan

Drawings sponsoed by Petra Diamonds plc

2014 Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees (Titled:

Mi Kondzo Ya Tinghawi/In the Footsteps

of Heroes)

Everard Read Gallery, Johannesburg –

Qunu Drawings

2016 Everard Read Gallery, Johannesburg and

Grande Provence Gallery – From Giyani to

Alexandra

COLLECTIONS

❏ Ascot Diamonds

❏ Bell, Dewar and Hall, Johannesburg

❏ Bidvest

❏ BLP Merchandising Solutions

❏ Brait

❏ Centurion Hotel, Pretoria

❏ Ellerman House, Cape Town

❏ Irma Stern Museum (UCT), Cape Town

❏ Johannesburg Development Agency

❏ Karoo Hotel outside Cape Town

❏ Medscheme Holdings

❏ MTN print exchange

❏ Nando’s

❏ Nedbank, Johannesburg

❏ Norman Borlaug Institute for International

Culture, Texas

❏ Raphael Suites and Michelangelo Towers, Sandton

❏ Rand Merchant Bank Corporate Collection

❏ Sasol Collection

❏ South African Reserve Bank

❏ Standard Bank Art Gallery, Johannesburg

❏ UNISA Art Collection

❏ Vodacom

PAGE 52

Ku xonga ka nwansati i mi ntirho leyi nen. l (Version II) (detail)(Women show their beauty through what they do)charcoal and pastel on paper2015151 x 161 cm

LEFT

Ku xonga ka nwansati i mi ntirho leyi nene. ll (Version I) (detail)(Women show their beauty through what they do)charcoal and pastel on paper2015140 x 160 cm

52 53This exhibition catalogue is published in conjunction with the exhibition From Giyani to Alexandra – the journey continues at ---Circa, Johannesburg 3 March – 16 April 2016

Published in 2016 by Everard Read, 6 Jellicoe Avenue, Rosebank

Copyright © Everard Read 2016 Text © The respective authors

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without prior permission from the publishers.

ISBN 978-0-9922366-9-4

Photography by Bob Cnoops Designed by Kevin Shenton Printed by Ultra Litho Printers, Johannesburg