His work, Wash Day, was recently auctioned for $140 000 and a Self Portrait sold for an astonishing $246 900!Īlthough the medium of expression has changed over the years - emerging artists are now more able to afford the traditional media of oils, watercolours and canvasses - the subject matter, rich colours and raw expressionism have remained the same and it is a genre that is becoming more and more collectable all over the world.Įven though Pemba and Sekoto continue to dominate the genre long after their deaths, successful emerging Township artists are being recognised for their contribution to the art form including Michael Maapola, who uses a combination of collage and air brush techniques and Louis Khela Maqhubela, who largely depicts his subject matter in mosaic form.Īn interesting anomaly is that Township art is no longer the exclusive domain of black artists some of the thriving Township artists are in fact of European descent and although their realities are not necessarily driven by hardship, their poignant depiction of township life is often truly remarkable. Sekoto, in particular, is often viewed as the catalyst which propelled South African art onto the crest of international demand. It is this inimitable expression of township life which continues to drive the genre into the comfortable and wealthy realm of international art collectors, so much so that works by great and celebrated Township artists including Gerard Sekoto and George Pemba have reached extraordinary high prices at auction in recent times. A vibrant depiction of oppressive realitiesĪspirant black artists chose to depict their oppressive realities in robust, colourful mixed media representations which were, and still are, completely unique to the region.Īlthough the fascist Apartheid regime has been relegated, permanently, to the annals of history, township art continues to thrive and evolve, depicting the challenging social realism of a life of poverty in a diverse array of media. Township art has long been an integral part of South Africa’s long struggle for freedom and was, in effect, shaped and moulded by the politics of social change.
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