Moshekwa Langa / Mogalakwena / 2013

Goodman Gallery Cape Town is pleased to present Mogalakwena, a solo exhibition of works by Moshekwa Langa first seen at Goodman Gallery Johannesburg in 2012. Moshekwa Langa is an artist and visual anthropologist who works with installation, drawing, video and sculpture.

Langa grew up in Bakenberg, a remote town in Limpopo, and left in 1989 to attend the Waldorf School near Pretoria. As a child he was particularly interested in visual expression, recording and documenting his daily experiences. Initially working in drawing and text, he later expanded into sculptures made with corrugated iron and cement bags, and began experimenting with various other media. He moved to Johannesburg where he worked as a contributing producer for the SABC, and in 1997 left to attend the prestigious Rijksakademie in the Netherlands.

Drawing has been an extended practice for Langa, incorporating elements of graffiti, thread, yarn and other materials. After studying and living in Amsterdam for several years he returned to South Africa – to spend time with his family, but also to confront certain aspects of his youth and the unfamiliar state of his hometown. During that time three dramatic incidents occurred that led him to stay in South Africa. The works on show are a series of indirect responses to these traumatic events, the last of which was the passing of his grandmother, Mrs Elizabeth Ramokone Konyana Langa, to whom the exhibition is dedicated.