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ANDREW NTSHABELE

Andrew Ntshabele, born 1986, understand the root causes of the joy. My aim in my current work is
lives and works in the inner city of current inner-city decay. “My work to highlight the past as well as the
Johannesburg. His art is informed by is a social commentary on the present. I believe and know that
his environment as he observes the socio-economic challenges that the the old world as we know it , is the

world around him with critical eyes. majority of Black South Africans thing of the past...we are entering a
His mixed-media paintings – a fusion face in a post-colonial South Africa. digital age..now more than ever , is
of collage and acrylic – depict what My paintings incorporate more than important to preserve history and
he sees and lives in every day. one medium, they are a fusion of document it. I am fascinated and

Andrew was born in the small rural collage and acrylic paint, and are excited as I do this through and with
town of Moruleng in the North produced from photographs I take my art.”
West Province of South Africa and on my daily travels around the inner
moved with his family to the city at city and its outskirts” Andrew says. Andrew Ntshabele is part of The

a young age. He studied Art at the Travelling Art Gallery since its
University of Johannesburg and was Andrew has experienced a lot inception and has shown his works at
awarded his BTech degree, majoring of challenges which COVID-19 all the exhibitions in Europe.
in painting, in 2013. brought and lockdowns as well as

restrictions didn’t make life easy.
“I have lived in Johannesburg since “After the Covid-19 pandemic hit the
the age of four and have witnessed entire world, I felt that people need
its physical, socio-economic and some art and some sort of joy in this

political changes post-Apartheid,” he challenging time.My new and current
explains. “I still live in the inner city artworks depict a more joyful feel, I
where I’m confronted by poverty, have been exploring working in large
pollution and urban decay every day. and medium scale works primarily,

I’m interested in the people who live the material I have been using is
in this environment, in the negative contemporary newspapers linked
effects of rapid urbanisation and with articles about Covid-19 and also
how they put a strain on the people I vintage newspapers with great The portfolio of

encounter and interact with daily.” head lines. Besides this I have been Andrew Ntshabele starts on
Andrew’s works investigate the social working with and on old letters and page 57
predicament of the city to postcards which gave me a lot of

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The Travelling Art Gallery