Goodman Gallery is proud to present Urban Entanglements: How Art Reflects Citymaking, spotlighting influential 20th-century masters from the African continent—the late David Koloane (1938–2019), Kagiso ‘Pat’ Mautloa, and Sam Nhlengethwa—whose artistic legacies remain impactful in the 21st century.
The exhibition features a dynamic selection of paintings, drawings, and charcoal works on paper, created during and after the final years of apartheid in South Africa, spanning from the 1980s to the 2020s. These works reflect the shifting socio-political landscape, capturing the complexities of urban life in a city shaped by segregation and its aftermath.
Their work reflects how art can document, challenge, and reshape perceptions of place and identity, particularly within a city shaped by the legacy of colonial and apartheid spatial planning. Koloane, Mautloa, and Nhlengethwa’s careers are deeply intertwined with Johannesburg’s vibrant and complex landscape. Crossing paths from the 1970s onward, each artist developed a distinctive practice—across collage, painting, and printmaking—that reflects personal and collective experiences within this evolving urban environment.
Koloane's charcoal drawings and mixed media works capture Johannesburg's restless rhythm through expressive, gestural marks. His artworks convey the lived experiences of the city's Black residents—navigating systemic oppression while forging their own paths to endure and thrive. Through his distinctive approach to African expressionism, Koloane transforms movement and tension into a visual dance of survival and creativity.
Nhlengethwa, though residing outside the city, has spent much of his career working in and around Johannesburg, including occupying a workspace for 25 years at the Bag Factory and later at August House in Doornfontein. His paintings and sketches focus on the architecture and landmarks that define his impression of the city, mapping its evolution over time. His sketches of Johannesburg and Dakar—where he spent time in the 1990s and again in 2024—expand the conversation to consider urban life and ‘cityness’ across the African continent.
Mautloa, who continues to work from the Bag Factory, reflects on how Johannesburg’s landscape and collective psyche have been shaped by mining and the lingering effects of racially divided space. His recent paintings and charcoal on cloth use abstraction and allegory to explore these themes, offering a politicised lens on how the city’s history continues to shape its present.
Koloane, the eldest of the trio, is regarded as a pioneering figure whose influence extends beyond his artistic practice. His legacy is shaped by his dedication to creating spaces for artists of colour to be mentored and thrive, alongside his contributions as a writer and curator.
Together, the artists played pivotal roles across key cultural institutions and artist-led initiatives that shaped Johannesburg’s burgeoning art scene. These include the Federated Union of Black Artists Arts Centre (FUBA), established to support Black artists; the Thupelo Workshops, inspired by the Triangle Network and focused on collaborative artistic processes; the Johannesburg Art Foundation, an educational institution founded by artist Bill Ainslie; and the Bag Factory Artists’ Studios, co-founded with British art collector and philanthropist Robert Loder, which remains a vital part of South Africa’s arts ecosystem today. Their collective involvement reflects a deep integration within and contribution to the city’s evolving cultural landscape.
Alessio Antoniolli, Director of the Triangle Network, says: I met David Koloane exactly 25 years ago when he was doing a residency at Gasworks. His approach to building ethical and artist-centred institutions has guided me ever since. By the time we met, Thupelo, the artists’ workshop he co-founded with Bill Ainsley, was thriving. This was further underscored by the Bag Factory which he founded with other seminal figures in the South African cultural landscape, such as Pat Mautloa and Sam Nhlengethwa, with the support of Triangle Network’s founder, Robert Loder. It is a testament to Koloane’s vision that the Bag Factory continues to be a milestone in the careers of so many South African and international artists.
ARTWORKS
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