 SAM NHELENGETHWA The Blue Interior |
 SAM NHLENGETHWA The Blue Interior |
 SAM NHLENGETHWA Township Scene IV Sold |
 SAM NHLENGETHWA Homage to Mankuku Ngozi |
Artist's Statement
Sam Nhlengethwa´s métier might be art but his inspiration is undoubtedly jazz.
In a statement on why he fuses jazz and art, Nhlengethwa said: "Jazz simply inspires me. Of all the subjects that I have dealt with, none has been re-visited like jazz. Jazz is second nature to me. I come from a family of jazz lovers. My eldest brother, Ranky, was a jazz musician. I used to hang around with him and his friends a lot. I still play the flute that he gave me. I think at heart, I am a non-practising jazz musician!
"Painting jazz pieces is an avenue or outlet for expressing my love for the music. As I paint, I listen to jazz and visualize the performance. Jazz performers improvise within the conventions of their chosen styles. In an ensemble, for example, there are vocal styles that include freedom of vocal colour, call-and-response patterns and rhythmic complexities played by different members. Painting jazz allows me to literally put colour onto these vocal colours.
"Jazz is rhythmic and it emphasizes interpretation rather than composition. There are deliberate tonal distortions that contribute to its uniqueness. My jazz collages, with their distorted patterns, attempt to communicate all of this. As a collagist and painter, fortunately, the technique allows me this freedom of expression. Like a jazz musician who can depart from the original melody altogether and improvise on its harmonic base, I create a well-balanced final product with interesting textures, perspective and dimensions from juxtaposing pieces from different original backgrounds. What I am doing is not new though, as there are other artists before me, who painted jazz pieces eg. Gerard Sekoto, Romare Bearden, Henri Matisse.
"The jazz musicians I chose inspire me. Their music is educational. Nina Simone for instance, sings about the suffering of African Americans. I enjoy her music and message. Modern Jazz quartets music is instrumental but meaningful.
"I buy jazz CDs and DVD's as part of my career. Miles Davis, Keith Jarrett, John Coltrane feature highly in my collection and I also have their autobiographies. Ron Carter made me love acoustic bass especially in his album with Roberta Flack "The first time I ever saw your face" - I was 17 when I first listened to it and knew pretty little about love but I enjoyed the instruments played.
"In addition to the international jazz musicians in my collection, I have a number of locals like Mirriam Makeba (or Mama Africa as she is affectionately known), Lemmy "Special" Mabaso, Abdullah Ibrahim etc. Their early music reminds me of Keith Jarrett's words: "Jazz is like a vehicle that transports various traditions...". Lemmy Maseko played the penny whistle with skill; Mirriam Makeba's "Malaika" backed by overseas musicians became a hit. Abdullah Ibrahim is a well respected pianist. You can bring together jazz musicians from different backgrounds to perform and they will produce a stunning piece of music!"
Jazz, characterised by its syncopated rhythms and individual or group improvisation around a basic theme, also suggests some useful, if rather loose tangents for exploring the output of an artist, who has long concerned himself with the specificities of place – Johannesburg – and the sounds that have animated life in it.
But Nhlengethwa´s output is far too wide-ranging to simply hold to the jazz concept. It is useful in explaining his iconographic lithographs celebrating the achievements of musicians such as Abdullah Ibrahim and Miriam Makeba, but there is far more to the artist´s accomplishments than studies jazz portraiture. Nhlengethwa is an artist curious about the intimacies of home, an artist drawn to the immediacy of his surroundings, and- importantly – an artist whose work has sometimes reflected upon the apochal moments defining recent South African history.
Biography
Born
1955, Payneville, Springs, South Africa
Education and Training
Tlakula High School (Kwa-Thema, Springs)
1976-77 Johannesburg Art Foundation (part time)
1977-78 Fine Art Diploma, Rorkes Drift Art Centre, Natal (full time)
Solo Exhibitions
1990 Cassirer Fine Art (with guest Daniel Phaladi)
1993 "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow " Travelling show: Market Gallery, JHB; NSA Gallery (Durban);
1994/5 "Homage to Jazz" Standard Bank Young Artist Award travelling show
1995 "Senegalese Images" Goodman Gallery, Hyde Park, JHB
1996 "Mine Trip" Goodman Gallery, Hyde Park, JHB
1997 "Interiors" Goodman Gallery, Hyde Park, JHB
2001 "Jozi People" Goodman Gallery, Hyde Park, JHB.
2002 "All that Jazz" Kubatana Moderne Gallery, Peachtree Road, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
2004 "Glimpses of the fifties and sixties": Florence Lynch Gallery,
Chelsea, New York;
2004 "Glimpses of the fifties and sixties": Goodman Gallery, JHB
2004 "Glimpses of the fifties and sixties": Joao Ferreira Gallery, Cape
Town.
Two Man Shows and Collaborations
1987 Two-man show with Madi Phala: Fuba Gallery
1989 Two-man show: with Gerard Sekoto, Cassirer Fine Art, Johannesburg
2000 Two-man show with Zwelethu Mthethwa: Seippel Art Gallery, Cologne, Germany
2001 Two-man show "Sam meets Zwelethu" a collaboration with Zwelethu Mthethwa: Goodman Gallery, JHB
2004 Two-man show "In a City" A collaboration with Andrew Tshabangu: Bag Factory Artists Studios, Fordsburg
2007 Two man show with Robert Hodgins: Art on Paper Gallery, Milpark
Group Exhibitions
1981 Civic centre, Kwa-Thema, Springs
1981 Haengi Gallery, Johannesburg
1983 Shell Gallery, Johannesburg
1984 Fuba Gallery, Johannesburg
1985 Tributaries, Africana Museum, sponsored by BMW
1986 The Thupelo show, Fuba Gallery
1986 Frankfurt, West Germany
1986 Academy Gallery, Paris, France, with Gerard Sekoto, David Koloane, Mabaso, Tony Nkotsi and Durant Sihlali
1987 Thupelo show in Botswana
1987 The Art Foundation (Thupelo)
1987 Cassirer Fine Art, Johannesburg
1988 Cassirer Fine Art, Johannesburg
1989 Thupelo show, Fuba Gallery
1990 Thupelo show, Fuba Gallery
1990 Goodman Gallery, Hyde Park, Johannesburg
1995 "Africa '95" , White Chapel, London
1997 Cross Over Johannesburg to Nantes, held in Nantes, France
1998 Netherlands Architecture Institute, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
1998 The Art Salon, Bay Hotel, Cape Town
1999 "Fast Forward Rewind" , Van Reekun Museum, Apeldoorn, Netherlands
1999 South African Trade Exhibition, Mauritius
1999 "Artery" Association for Visual Arts, (Metropolitan Gallery): Cape Town
1999 The Art Salon, Bay Hotel, Cape Town
2000 The Art Salon, Bay Hotel, Cape Town
2000 Artlook South Africa: Gahlberg Gallery, College of DuPage, Chicago
2000 Project Conflux - a touring exhibition started in Cape Town
2001 "Lines of Connection" , Cameroon
2001 The Art Salon, Bay Hotel, Cape Town
2002 "Towards new Cultures" , Trevi Exhibition Area, Bolzano, Italy.
2002 "South African Art from 1850 to 2002" , Goodman Gallery, JHB
2002 "African & African American Shared Understanding Project", Atlanta, Georgia
2002 "Ubuntu" group exhibition, Malaysia
2003 "Southern African Stories: A Print Collection", Center for Contemporary Art in the Fernandes Industrial Centre, Laventille, Trinidad and Tobago.
2003 Group Exhibition: Florence Lynch Gallery, Chelsea, New York.
2003 Group Exhibition: 8th Havana Bienale, Cuba
2004 New Identities - Contemporary South African Art: Museum Bochum, Germany.
2004 POST- Contemporary South African Photography: Tama Art University Museum, Tokyo, Japan.
2005 Unity Series at the World Economic Forum, Davos, Switzerland.
2006 Art on Paper (Goats)
2007 Lift Up 2: Goodman Gallery, Cape Town
Commissions
1991 Illustrations for the "Sunday Star" magazine
1991 Cover illustration for Alex Civic association
1993 "Weekly Mail" Artists of South Africa Subscription promotion
1994 Paperback book cover design for "None to accompany me" by Nadine Gordimer
1995 Pope John Paul II's illustration for the "Sunday Times Inside Magazine"
1996 Gauteng Provincial Legislature
1997 Anglo American Corporation
1997 FEDSURE Life Assurance Ltd
1998 MTN Building (Sandton, JHB)
2000 Daimler Chrysler Award for South African Jazz 2001: Illustration for CD cover, posters and invitations
2001 Metallon Mining House
2002 Emoyeni House (Department of Public Transport, Roads and Works): Parktown
2004 Paperback book cover design for "Soweto Inside Out" by Joe Thloloe
2004 Hardbook cover design for Soweto Blues, Jazz & Popular music & politics in South Africa by Gwen Ansell
2004 Designing of the Carlton Hotel Alumni commemorative plate
Collections
MOBIL Court (Cape Town)
Johannesburg Art Gallery
ANGLO AMERICAN (JHB)
World Bank (USA)
Botswana Art Museum
MTN Art Institute (JHB)
SASOL (Johannesburg)
The German Art Museum (Frankfurt, Germany)
National Gallery (Cape Town)
Durban Art Gallery
Tatham Art Gallery (Pietermaritzburg)
GENCOR, JHB
Standard Bank Head Office, JHB
BMW, Pretoria
Mercedes-Benz, JHB
TELKOM
ABSA
NEDCOR (Jhb)
Mandela Foundation (Parktown)
Johannesburg Stock Exchange (Sandton, JHB)
SABC (SA Broadcasting Corporation, Auckland Park, JHB)
Daimler Chrysler HQ (Pretoria)
Harry Oppenheimer & Sons (JHB)
Millenium Consolidated Investment (Sandton)
Mr Geoff Humber (New York USA)
Mr Robert Loder (London, UK)
Mr Harry Belafonte (USA)
Ms Gay McDougall (USA) (Director: Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights)
Ms Delfina for Delfina Studios (London, UK)
Mr Samuel L. Jackson (USA)
Mr Leslie Israele (Director: M & L Distributors (Pty) Ltd. : Cape Town)
Mr Mfundi Vundla (SA)
Johannesburg Consolidated Investments (JCI)
Dr Oupa Morare (SA)
Dr Johnny Msendane (SA)
Numerous works around South Africa and abroad
Nominations And Awards
1988 A.A. Vita awards nominee (JHB)
1991 A.A. Vita Awards nominee (JHB)
1991 Triangle International Artists Workshop (New York, USA)
1992 A.A. Vita Awards nominee (JHB)
1992 Delfina Studio Trust Summer Award (London, UK)
1993 Betrams VO Art for Africa Award finalist (JHB)
1993 Standard Bank Young Artist Award winner for 1994
1994 First National Bank Vita Awards nominee (JHB)
1994 TENQ African Workshop - Senegal (West Africa)
1995 African Studies Association conference, Florida (USA)
1996 First National Bank Vita Awards nominee (JHB)
1999 Medicins Sans Frontiers project "Art without Frontiers" , Dubai (UAE) where 40 international artists took part in painting the world's longest painting to raise funds for MSF.
2003 Havanna Biennale, Cuba
Related Activities
1992 FUBA [JHB]: Part-time teaching until mid-1992
2000 College of DuPage, [Glen Ellyn, Chicago, USA]: Conducting Liberal Arts Workshops and presenting lectures in collaboration with Associate Professor Check Boone - as part of the ARTLOOK South Africa project.
2000 Havanna Cuba: participated in the filmaing of the "Afro-Cuban Connaction" documentary
2000 MTN Art Institute Community project : Conducting art workshops in various schools around the country
2000 Gerard Sekoto Foundation Community project : Involved in a murals painting project with students (Northern Province & Sophiatown)
2000 "Secure the Future": a Bristol Myers Squibb art project to promote HIV/AIDS research.
2001 Cameroon: "Lines of Connection": an MTN Art Institute project - exhibiting and facilitating education workshops for students from Douala, Cameroon
2001 Gerard Sekoto Foundation project in partnership with Mamelodi Heritage Foundation, De Beers and Pretoria Art Museum in a murals painting project involving local students
2002 "Johannesburg Art City" visual arts exhibition Wall Project (part of the WSSD)
2002 MTN Art Institute art competition judging in schools.
2003 Matric Art Seminar project including an illustrated lecture to Art & Design students from PE Technikon and Rhodes University
2004 Facilitator: Vaal Technikon Art workshop
2004 London: Sir Robert Loder….Triangle Workshop networking
Publications
The 20th Century Artbook (Phaidon Press Limited, 1999) ISBN 0 7148 3850, page 336.
"The Money Standard" Vol. 1 No 4 1999. Page 26
"FNB Vita Art Now 1995". ISBN 0620201975. Page 36
"Vuka SA" Vol. 2, No 3, June/July 1997. Issn 1025-2134. Pages 6 - 7
"Jazz Heritage " Vol. 4 1999. ISSN 1560-7720. Pages 16-17
L' Art Africain Contemporain (Association Dialogue Entre Les Cultures) 1992-4. ISBN 2-909711-005. Page 27
Andries Oliphant, 'A human face: The Death of Biko and South African Art' in Seven Stories about Modern Art in Africa, 1995:258)
"10 Years 100 Artists" Edited by Sophie Perryer. Published by Bell-Roberts (2004). ISBN: 1868729877
"Rorke's Drift Empowering Prints" by Phillipa Hobbs & Elizabeth Rankin. Published by Double Storey (2003). ISBN: 1-919930-13-2
Solo Exhibitions
1990 Cassirer Fine Art (with guest Daniel Phaladi)
1993 Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. Travelling show: Market Gallery (Jhb), NSA Gallery (Durban)
1994/5 Homage to Jazz. Standard Bank Young Artist Award. Various venues.
1995 Senegalese Images. Goodman Gallery, Hyde Park, Jhb
1996 Mine Trip. Goodman Gallery, Hyde Park, Jhb
1998 Interiors. Goodman Gallery, Hyde Park, Jhb
2001 Jozi People. Goodman Gallery, Hyde Park. Jhb
Selected Group Exhibitions
1981 Civic Centre, Kwa-Thema, Springs
Haenggi Gallery, Jhb
1983 Shell Gallery, Jhb
1984 Fuba Gallery, Jhb
1985 Tributaries, Africana Museum, sponsored by BMW, Jhb
1986 The Thupelo show, Fuba Gallery, JhbFrankfurt, West Germany
Academy Gallery, Paris, France, with Gerard Sekoto, David Koloane, Dumisane Mabaso, Tony Nkotsi and Durant Sihlali
1987 Two-man show with Madi Phala: Fuba Gallery
Thupelo show in Botswana
The Art Foundation (Thupelo)
Cassirer Fine Art, Jhb
1988 Cassirer Fine Art, Jhb
1989 Two-man show: with Gerard Sekoto, Cassirer Fine Art, Jhb
Thupelo show, Fuba Gallery, Jhb
1990 Thupelo show, Fuba Gallery, Jhb
Goodman Gallery, Hyde Park, Jhb
1995 Africa '95, White Chapel, London
1997 Cross Over Johannesburg to Nantes held in Nantes, France
1998 Netherlands Architecture Institute, Rotterdam, Netherlands
The Art Salon, Bay Hotel, Cape Town
1999 Fast Forward Rewind, Van Reekun Museum, Apeldoorn, Netherlands
South African Trade Exhibition, Mauritius
Artery Association for Visual Arts, (Metropolitan Gallery), Cape Town
The Art Salon, Bay Hotel, Cape Town
2000 Two-man show with Zwelethu Mthethwa, Seippel Art Gallery, Cologne, Germany
The Art Salon, Bay Hotel, Cape Town
Artlook South Africa, Gahlberg Gallery, College of Du Page, Chicago, USA
Project Conflux, a touring exhibition started in Cape Town
2001 Lines of Connection, Cameroon
Two-man show Sam meets Zwelethu, a collaboration with Zwelethu Mthethwa, Goodman Galley, Jhb
The Art Salon, Bay Hotel, Cape Town
2002 Towards new Cultures, Trevi Exhibition Area, Bolzano, Italy Art City billboards exhibition, Jhb
Nominations, Awards And Residencies
1988 A.A. Vita awards nominee (Jhb)
1991 A.A. Vita Awards nominee (Jhb)
Triangle International Artists Workshop (New York, USA)
1992 A.A. Vita Awards nominee (Jhb)
Delfina Studio Trust Summer Award (London, UK)
1993 Betrams VO Art for Africa Award finalist (Jhb)
Standard Bank Young Artist Award winner for 1994 (RSA)
1994 First National Bank Vita Awards nominee (Jhb)
TENQ African Workshop - Senegal (West Africa)
1995 African Studies Association conference, Florida (USA)
1996 First National Bank Vita Awards nominee (Jhb)
1999 Medicins Sans Frontiers project Art without Frontiers, Dubai (UAE) where 40 international artists took part in painting the worlds longest painting to raise funds for MSF