Notes

Phillemon Hlungwani’s extensive practice coalesces drawing, graphic work and printmaking. He is renowned for his expansive charcoal sketches portraying intimate community scenes and vast landscapes – themes which he continuously returns to as a kind of documentation of cultural histories and heritage. Often, he incorporates xiTsonga in his titles as proverbs that contain profound moral instructions; as seen in Munhu u famba-famba, loko a xurile I.

In Munhu u famba-famb, a highly saturated surface is foregrounded by figures moving through space in a choreographed dance of daily existence. There is a palpable sense of the cinematic, evoking an experience that feels immersive and captivating. This monochromatic work is typical of Hlungwani’s style – we see the artist’s detailed mark-making come together to create a scene full of depth and energy. The work is fluid and organic, suggesting a natural flow between the figures and their environment.

Hlungwani is part of an older generation of contemporary artists who experimented with various mediums at different stages of their careers, studying at Johannesburg Art Foundation, where both Helen Sebidi and David Koloane studied and worked. Hlungwani’s work has been exhibited both locally and internationally and forms part of various significant collections, including the Irma Stern Museum, the UNISA Art Collection and the Standard Bank Art Gallery collection.

Nkgopoleng Moloi

Provenance

Everard Read, Cape Town, September 2015.

Private Collection.