South African Artist – Malibongwe Shangase

Our artist of the month for April 2023, Malibongwe Shangase, joins Woza Moya from the African Art Centre.

Malibongwe is a full time artist who produces works on paper in the form of woodcuts and oil pastels. He has travelled extensively and has exhibited his work in South Africa, Switzerland and Berlin.

Malibongwe enjoys talking about his life and his interest in the community in which he lives. He often explores the theme of “what’s going on inside the houses in the township?”

Growing up with a love of Art

Malibongwe Shangase was born on 10 April 1983, He grew up in Ntuzuma, KwaMashu, a township situated on the outskirts of Durban.

The art bug bit him at the age of 6 when he started drawing. Today, he cannot imagine doing anything else, but create art.

He explains that he initially chose art for the love of it, without the expectation of earning a sustainable income from his interest.

He believes that his family would have preferred him following a more traditional career path, or getting what he refers to as a ‘real’ job.

Velobala Group Outreach Project

After completing high school, Malibongwe came across a programme called the Velobala Group outreach project, facilitated by the Durban African Art Centre.

The Velobala Group provides art classes for young artists who are unable to enrol at tertiary educational facilities due to of financial constraints.

Malibongwe is very grateful to his teacher – artist Themba Shibase – who was a great inspiration and taught him how to express himself in his work.

Resident Artist at the Bat Centre

After excelling at the Velobala Art Classes, Malibongwe was selected as a resident artist at the Bat Centre in Durban where he worked with master printers, such as Isaac Sithole and Ezequiel Mabote.

His works are very expressive; following his “inner emotions”. Malibongwe credits fellow artist, Ezequiel Mabote for exposing and teaching him the technique of colour reduction.

Passing on his Skills

Malibongwe now spends a large amount of time sharing his knowledge and skills with the next generation of artists.

Interested in seeing more of his Work?

More artworks can be found through Woza Moya and @The Cape Gallery