Lindokuhle Tshabalala(1999) is a self-taught visual artist and writer from Johannesburg South Africa. In the early years of his life, he spent most of his time perfecting his pencil drawings. He feels this was his destiny as he never planned this path. He feels enlightened, invigorated, and alive when he immerses himself in the Art realm. His work unpacks layers and nuances of African history in African Art.
The current body of work is conceived as a resurrection of African heroes and heroines.These works are referred to as “FIRMAMENTS OF AFRAKA”. As a self-taught arfist, his craftmanship is not based on a fixed taught method or practice. Every painting contains a new method and skill that requires a free chain of thought and a willingness to be guided.
He has chosen to unpack this narrative as many of the world’s most recognizable and influential stories in Art come from Western culture - classical mythology, Norse mythology, Judeo-Christian narratives, and many of them illuminate the heroic efforts of men or the cultural experience of White Western figures.
Regrettably, women and people of colour appear in folklore, myths, and legends across cultures but they are less often depicted as heroic protagonists in prominent renowned tales. Black women are rarely portrayed as offering anything redemptive, spiritually, or intellectually conscious enough to impact the positive influences of others. When they are made present, their ethnicity is questioned or diminished. A debate rides with a level of confusion and obfuscation is created to argue that they were Black women before them being whitewashed through history over the years.
The works are inspired by a diary left to him by his beloved late mother. This diary explored and unpacked his identity and gave him a unique vantage point to look up and see things in our society with greater insight and unique vantage point. Her experiences in fur gave him the courage to interrogate the stories from multiple angles and tell them beyond stereotyped identities. His vision evolved into a lived vision of seeing the stories resurrect and given a new form of life with every page and canvas. The “Winged Chest” people are inspired by a deep desire to resurrect the African Heroes and Heroines who are in the world of forever sleep, with the firm belief that they will be reborn in a character and positive situational circumstances through his work.
These works are a spiritual compass to the world yet to be discovered through colour, form, and artistry.
