Greatjoy Ndlovu is a full-time visual artist based in Johannesburg, South Africa. He was born in the city of Bulawayo, NDLOVU Zimbabwe, and moved to study Art at Cyrene Mission in the south-western part of the country. The fervent painter continues to enjoy the summits of art world prominence in South Africa, and an immense recognition of his world class talent across continents.
The Contemporary Expressionist boasts an ever-growing number of faithful collectors worldwide. His current body of works largely focuses on the portrayal of masculinity, identity and the abstract representation of the nature of thought conceptions, particularly in light of mindset generation as expressed in his 2019 series “Conversations of a Man”.
His principal theme revolves around merging motion and emotion to arouse mental images that synchronize with his expressive style of art. Greatjoy’s style notably kisses expressionistic and representationalistic ideas with figurative drawings, while retaining an enthralling tinge of abstraction that frequently lurks in his works. His mind-piercing forms of portraiture seek to decipher internal truths and meanings with such lightness of detail, instead of mere expressions of shallow unstoried works approximating goodly but superficial semblances. His artworks attest to his exploratory genius with diverse material as
evidenced by his distinctive, equally riveting techniques across much of his paintings. Such creative candor has made him one of the most sought-after African artists fitly posed for world acclaim in the art scene of his generation.
Greatjoy’s work starts from light-hearted, experimental sketches that develop into large scale detailed works or even an entire series without losing an experimental element that so characterizes his work. His work is strongly influenced by challenges incurred by men in society. It aims to table talk and to inspire men and the greater society to raise and tackle these challenges with an elevated degree of seriousness, and it also presses more on the need to help socialize and educate our young boys differently.
Collect Artist
Born in South Africa in 1992, Olwethu De Vos is a contemporary multidisciplinary visual artist and curator currently residing and working in Johannesburg. De Vos received her Baccalaureus Technologiae degree from the acclaimed Tshwane University of Technology where she majored in glass blowing, sculpture and figure drawing. Throughout her career, De Vos has been the recipient of the Teresa Lizamore Curatorial Mentorship Programme in 2017. She also participated in the Thami Mnyele National Fine Arts Award where she was selected as one of the top fifteen finalists.
De Vos has had the pleasure of participating in numerous exhibitions such as the Arts Alive exhibition (2015), Thou Art Woman Group exhibition at MM Art House (2018) and All Womxn Matter by Julie Miller and Art@Africa in 2020 De Vos has also participated in prestigious art fairs in the county such as the Turbine Art Fair (2019), FNB Art Joburg (2020) where she had her first virtual solo exhibition, and the Investec Cape Town Art Fair (2021). De Vos’s first physical solo exhibition took place at Mmarthouse Gallery in 2021.
Exploring both two and three-dimensional artistic approaches and techniques, De Vos’s body of work centres around the emotional, psychological and social wellbeing of individuals advocating for new positive ways of relating to one another.
Laziehound Coka was born on November 18th in 1982 at Bilanyoni, Kwazulu Natal, South Africa. He attended the primary school in Bilanyoni, then in 1995 the Inkama Catholic High School in Vryheid. From 1996 to 2000 Laziehound went to the agricultural-technical high school Sinethemba. He attended Boksburg College in 2002 and studied engineering at Pretoria Technikon. Shortly afterwards he broke off his studies to devote himself entirely to his passion for art. From 2005 to 2007 he studied print production at the Artist Proof Studio. He now works as a freelance artist in Johannesburg.
Layziehounds art examines the social and generational conflicts of South Africa and tries to overcome them. The themes of his work range from his youth experiences in apartheid to today's social-political landscape of South Africa, which is confusing and threatening especially for the younger generation.
His works often show men in suits. The suits are the "uniform" of South Africa's elders. They are the symbol for the self-enrichment of the new elites of South Africa, who, focused on their own merit, are not affected by the circumstances around them. Layziehounds creation process is inspired by these problems. The metaphorical symbols and images used by him are subtly provocative, but nevertheless determined in their pointe. His intention is to convey a sense of the problems of South Africa in the viewer in order to raise the mind to a higher level of reason.
Mandla Mavengere is a Johannesburg-based multidimensional visual artist, whose works speak to the diversity and inequalities of labour, the hardships of migration and the monetary value of goods and services rendered. In 2021 he and David Krut Workshop printer Sbongiseni Khulu collaborated on a body of oil-based monotypes on paper. Included in some of Mavengere’s works are chine collé and collage elements created by printing his signature hand carved “Gondruala” linocut bank notes onto paper that is adhered to the works in the printing process.
Mavengere depicts individuals who leave their familiar homes and territories, searching for better fortunes in larger cities and foreign countries. Often many of them temporarily place their dreams on hold to support themselves in the present and adopt any role that meets this need. His works highlight the necessity of paper in the form of his signature hand carved ‘Gondruala’ (a name derived from Gondwana) linocut bank notes, often used as backdrops for the subjects in his works. This fictitious currency stands for “the uncompromised environment of dwelling.” It also represents the hope and potential for the resource-rich continent of Africa which serves as a resource pivot to the globe, whilst the bank notes divulge stories of both success and great loss.
Born September 18 1989 in Polokwane, Limpopo, Malose Pete grew up in a rural place called Ga-Mahoai. He PETE attended junior schooling at Rachebole primary where there were no art classes but realised his art potential by making class illustrations of plant and animal structures for teachers. BK Matlala Commercial High is where he attended his senior schooling years and matriculated in 2007.
Formal education in art begun when he enrolled at Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) in the Fine Arts Department in 2008 until 2011 when he completed for a B-Tech Degree qualification majoring in Painting and Sculpture. Some of his works featured in the Art industry since 2010. Including the 2011 ABSA L’Atelier Art Competition, the Sasol New Signatures Art Competition 2011, the PPC Young Concrete Sculptors Awards 2012, Sanlam Portrait Awards 2019 and completed several public and private commissions in both sculpture and painting.
The most notable being the Sefako Makgatho figure done for The National Heritage Monument currently at Century City, Cape Town. He also had joint exhibitions and solo shows at Trent Gallery, at Art Lovers 1932, the Pretoria Arts Association and The IS Gallery in Franschoek, Western Cape.
Mr Pete has been lecturing part time at The Fine and Applied Department of The Tshwane University of Technology since 2015 in sculpture and painting.
In 2018 he was part of the Polokwane regional judging panel for the Sasol New Signatures national art competition.
Siphiwe Makgoka was born in Garankua (Pretoria) and grew up in Limpopo. During his time in high school he worked as as a freelance cartoonist for Seipone, a local newspaper, with one of the cartoons appearing in the 2007 Sepedi matric final question paper.
Siphiwe went on to pursue Fine Arts at the Tshwane university of Technology, graduating with his degree in 2012.
He has participated in several art exhibitions and art competitions since. He has showcased some of his pieces at the Pretoria Art Museum, Turbine Art Fair and other prominent exhibiting spaces.
Siphiwe’s works have been selected top 100 for art competitions such as PPC Young concrete Sculptors Awards, Sasol New Signatures and Thami Mnyele Fine Arts Awards.