Admirable artisan... Esther Mahlangu
Ndebele & Esther Mahlangu
Esther Mahlangu's murals and paintings are inspired by the ceremonial patterns of the Ndebele, a nomadic community in northeastern South Africa. As a young Ndebele woman reaches puberty, she is taught the traditional designs of her ancestors, which were first expressed in beadwork and in a more recent custom in murals-art forms reserved exclusively for women of the community. "My mother and grandmother taught me to paint when I was ten years old," the artist has said, "When I am painting my heart is very wide, it reaches out. It makes me feel very, very happy."
Esther Mahlangu's murals and paintings are inspired by the ceremonial patterns of the Ndebele, a nomadic community in northeastern South Africa. As a young Ndebele woman reaches puberty, she is taught the traditional designs of her ancestors, which were first expressed in beadwork and in a more recent custom in murals-art forms reserved exclusively for women of the community. "My mother and grandmother taught me to paint when I was ten years old," the artist has said, "When I am painting my heart is very wide, it reaches out. It makes me feel very, very happy."
