ANDREW NTSHABELE

Ntshabele has quickly developed a personal technique through painting figures in acrylic on large format supports made of collaged newspapers.

Andrew Ntshabele depicts characters that he observes on the streets of Johannesburg as a reflection of the negative physical, socio-economic, and political changes of the post-apartheid city of Johannesburg. Selectively choosing newspaper backgrounds with pertinent headlines, he paints over them with the resulting pressure and strain on citizens who live and work in a polluted city. Photographing and meeting his subjects around the city prompted him to investigate these difficulties in order to understand the root causes of the degradation of the city center.

After the Covid-19 pandemic hit, Andrew Ntshabele would like viewers to confront his art from a new perspective and try to find happiness in these difficult times. Within some of his recent work, more joyful feelings are present. For this new series, he explores both medium and large supports using newspaper articles about Covid-19.

Born in 1986 in a small town in South Africa, he studied at the University of Art in Johannesburg and graduated in 2013 with a major in painting. Since then, he has been living and working in Johannesburg. 

"I believe and know that the old world as we know it is a thing of the past...we are entering a digital age and now more than ever it is important to preserve history and document it. I am fascinated and excited to do this through my art."

- Andrew Ntshabele