Building Her Legacy

Ndebele superstar artist Esther Mahlangu shares her plans of building an academy in her name.

- Mpho Tshikhudo

COLOURFUL Ndebele designs adorn thatched cottages that dot the idyllic countryside and it almost feels as though we’re driving through one of the paintings by the famous artist herself.

As we pull up in front of Esther Mahlangu’s home we half expect to see the BMW she famously decorated in the bright shapes that have become her signature.

But there are no cars – decorated or otherwise – anywhere in sight. Instead we’re greeted by the celebrated painter, a technicolour umbalo or Ndebele blanket around her shoulders, looking cool and calm despite the broiling midday sun in Weltevrede in Nkangala, Mpumalanga.

She does have a car, the remarkable 81-year-old says with a chuckle as she welcomes us. It too is a luxury vehicle and it also sports her paintings.

“But it’s at the mechanic,” she says.

Proof that normal things happen to everyone – even artists with careers spanning more than four decades.

Esther’s artworks have earned her global acclaim and she was recently honoured with a mural in New York City that pays tribute to her striking body of work.

And it isn’t just any old mural tucked away down a street in the sprawling Manhattan metropolis.

This one, by American artist Imani Shanklin Roberts, spans a two-lane road near Lower Manhattan and showcases the Ndebele symbols that have become synonymous with Esther’s work.

She was invited to the Big Apple to oversee the painting and she’s “very pleased” with the finished product, she says.

Esther has been to New York several times – once as the guest of a vodka brand that also had Grammy-winning singer John Legend on board.

However, these days it isn’t the jet-setter lifestyle that excites her: her latest passion project is getting the Esther Mahlangu Academy off the ground.