We are excited to share that Thami Mnyele Foundation fellow Moshekwa Langa is a part of a duo exhibition with John Muafangejo 'Juxtapositions: Moshewka Langa & John Mufangejo' at Stevenson gallery in Johannesburg.
The phrase ‘I was lonelyness’, seen first in John Muafangejo’s print Zimbabwe House (1975) and used as the title of his catalogue raisonné of graphic works, was adapted to ‘I was once lonelyness’ by Moshekwa Langa. Inscribed on the bottom of his 2011 drawing, After Muafangejo, the text acts as a direct reference that announces the Namibian printmaker’s influence on Langa, while spotlighting how both artists navigate the themes of isolation, belonging and placemaking across their respective practices.
Juxtapositions continues to articulate the connections between these two artists, with paintings, drawings and collage created by Langa between 2000 and 2011 presented alongside linocuts by Muafangejo dating back to 1969. Though prints by the latter are pointedly monochromatic while the former makes elliptical use of colour – incorporating maps, adhesives and domestic materials to achieve unconventional surfaces – shared preoccupations emerge across both artists’ strategies around composition, text, portraiture and line.
The exhibition can be seen until 24 November.
more info
exhibition handout