South African artist Blessing Ngobeni first picked up a paintbrush during a nine-year stint in prison, drawing fellow inmates and birthday cards to kill time.
This month, the now renowned 35-year-old showcased his work at South Africa’s FNB Art Joburg, a leading contemporary art fair featuring artists from across the continent, back in full swing after a two-year pause linked to the pandemic.
In front of colorful surreal canvases stood a painted set of antique armchairs and sofas, inspired by an eerie discovery in 2016 of a chair in North Georgia allegedly stuffed with the hair of black slaves. It was a story that I needed to work with and bring to life, Ngobeni told the media. things that we own, lies a secret, lies DNA, lies memories, lies the pain of the other people.
Blessing Ngobeni poses in front of his work during a show at South Africa’s Joburg Art Fair, a leading contemporary art exhibition featuring artists from across the African continent, in Sandton, South Africa
