Esther Nikwambi Mahlangu was born on 11 Nov 1935 in Middelburg, Mpumalanga, South Africa, too belongs to the South Ndebele people. Mahlangu began icon at 10 years of age, too was taught the science of mural icon past times her woman raise too grandmother, According to the tradition of her native South Ndebele people for females to pigment the outside of houses. It is inward this cultural tradition where Mahlangu began her artistic journey..
This is how Esther Mahlangu came to last the most famous Ndebele artist. In 1986 researchers from Paris travelled the globe to document traditional art, cultures too homesteads. They visited Weltevrede, Kwamhlanga, took photographs of Esther’s eye-catching theatre amongst its outside decorations piece she was at function at Botshabelo Ndebele Museum close Middelburg. Astonished at the photographs, she confirmed that the theatre was indeed hers.
This resulted inward an invitation for Esther to go to France. She had many questions every bit a local rural adult woman unfamiliar amongst western lifestyle. She could barely beak English, allow lonely French, had never been on a airplane too had no persuasion where French Republic was. Her biggest worry was that she mightiness non observe mealie repast amongst which to ready pap, her traditional meal. However her fears were allayed when it was agreed that her only surviving son, Elias, could accompany her. When the divergence appointment arrived, a 50kg pocketbook of mealie repast was also checked inward amongst her luggage. The large buildings too throngs of people at Johannesburg International Airport all but overwhelmed her. However, Esther bravely took all the novel too frightening experiences inward her stride.
On arrival inward Paris Esther was asked to decorate a theatre inward traditional Ndebele fashion, simply similar her existent domicile dorsum inward South Africa. Amid broad telly too press coverage her career every bit internationally respected creative soul commenced every bit thousands of spectators came to lookout her work. Before returning domicile 5 weeks afterwards she also decorated an inner wall at the local museum of Angoul inward France.
Thereafter many overseas go opportunities to present her function too invitations followed 1 after another. Now, when she is non at domicile instruction immature girls Ndebele art, she is unremarkably travelling all over the world.
Some of her major industrial plant include a 1996 Mural - Alexandra Township Stadium, South Africa; 1991 Painting Columns inward Building, Tokyo, Japan; 2001 Galleria Cavelini, Brescia, Italy; 1991 BMW Project.
Esther's other passion inward life is to develop too learn non only people from some the globe virtually her fine art but also the local girls, too then that this frail civilization won't disappear.
The 1991 BMW Project:
In 1975 French auctioneer too racing driver, Herv Poulain, approached BMW amongst his dream of combining his 2 passions, motor-sport too art. The persuasion caught on too Alexander Calder was commissioned to convert Poulain’s BMW 3.0 CSL into a fiery artwork for the 4 hr race inward Le Mans. This automobile became the outset inward a serial of BMW Art Cars. The concept proved to last a hugely successful promotional tool, inspiring BMW to choke on commissioning famous international artists to decorate special racing cars.
In 1991 Esther Mahlangu was invited to pigment a epitome of the novel BMW 525i model. Esther’s car, eleventh inward the Art Car Collection, was the outset to last decorated past times a adult woman artist. Not only her gender, but also her race made this fact all the to a greater extent than exceptional: a dark adult woman creative soul from a niggling known South African community had been included inward a prestigious international artistic line-up, placing BMW inward the spotlight of a cross-cultural, out-of-Africa fine art promotion.
Esther took a practise run on the door of a dissimilar BMW earlier icon her Art Car. Within a week, she transformed the 5 Series saloon into a masterpiece of Ndebele art, establishing her proud identify every bit the outset adult woman inward the business upward of international Art Car artists. Unlike the outset cars inward the BMW Art Cars Collection, Esther Mahlangu’s BMW volition never last subjected to driving on the road, but volition be alone every bit a function of art. Johan Walker, inward his 1990 publication Art inward the Age of Mass Media, wrote:
“…the majority produced detail (the BMW car) of an industrial designer has been made into a unique function of art. What was already a condition symbol was given the condition of Art.”
Today the BMW Art Collection contains 15 automotive industrial plant of art. Significant artists from nine countries from every continent are represented inward the collection. BMW’s sponsorship of artistic interaction amongst the globe of technology scientific discipline is aimed at creating intercultural dialogue every bit an musical instrument for tolerance too agreement inward a culturally various world.
- Awards
- 2015 The Lilizela Tourism Award, Roots too culture, SA
- 2015 South African Traditional Music Achievement Awards, Life Time Achievement Award, SA
- 2013 1st Mbokodo Award, SA
- 2012 1st Mbokodo Award, South African Women inward the Arts, SA
- 2010 Increasing Access to the Arts Award - 13th annual BASA Awards, SA
- 2007 The Heritage Award for Preservation too Promotion of South African Heritage too Culture, The Premier of KZN, SA
- 2006 The Order of Ikhamanga (Silver), Government of South Africa, SA
- 2006 National Arts too Culture Trust, Lifetime Achievement Award, SA
- 2001 Arts too Culture Award, Art Promotion, SA
- 2001 Pan African Broadcasting, Heritage too Achievement Award (PABHA), SA
- 2001 Radio Ndebele Award, SA
- 1999 Mpumalanga Arts too Culture Award, SA
- 1997 Nassau County Commendation, New York, USA
- 1997 Incorporated Village of Hempstead Citation, Hempstead, New York, USA
- 1997 Ministry of Culture too Communication, Centre de la Villette, France
- 1996 Mpumalanga Sport Premier's Culture Award, SA
- 1988 Radio Ndebele Award, SA
