Blessing Ngobeni (South Africa 1985-) Red Eyes, 2013
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Notes : Main store JHB Blessing Ngobeni was born in 1985 in a small rural town of Tzaneen in the Limpopo province. At the age of ten, he moved to Johannesburg where, after a tumultuous decade, he entered the contemporary art scene. Bringing with him a unique style and a critique of political regimes, Ngobeni made the corruption, incompetence and duplicity of current South African ruling elite the subjects of his art. He tackles the disconcerting consequences of betraying democratic ideals, the failure to learn from historical tragedies and the expanding gap between the rich and poor. This critique is informed by Ngobeni’s own experience, the hardships and challenges he had to confront as a child and adolescent. As a result of his exceptional work and dedication to his practice, Ngobeni received the highly-prestigious Standard Bank Young Artist Award for the Visual Arts in 2019. His latest body of work, produced as an outcome of winning the Standard Bank Young Artist Award for the Visual Arts in 2019, will be installed and exhibited at the National Arts Festival in 2021, before beginning its year-long tour of various major cultural institutions in South Africa. It is of importance to note that Ngobeni is an artist focusing on more than his own evolving career. His efforts in mentoring young artists have led him to form two projects that support graduates who are transitioning from their fine art training at tertiary institutions to their careers as full-time artists. The first, in collaboration with the Bag Factory, is the Blessing Ngobeni Studio Art Award established in 2017. The second is called ‘Initiative’ and introduces young artists to the art industry through a series of workshops and culminates in an opportunity for them to participate in a group show. This empowering work attests to Ngobeni’s personal and professional contribution to the art world and society at large.
Condition_report : The overall condition is good.
