Artist Database

Noria Mabasa is a Venda artist born in 1938 in Xigalo, Limpopo. She has no formal art training, but, in 1965, began having a recurring dream of an old woman showing her how to model clay. Initially confused by this dream, Mabasa only began working with clay in 1974 to alleviate her financial struggles. Two years later, in 1976, she turned to wood and became the first Venda woman to work in the medium, a space previously reserved for males. Mabasa’s themes are derived from her dreams and traditional life, such as Venda spirituality and culture. She also explores issues of gender, race, loss, and violence – as experienced during and after apartheid.

Mabasa became a full-time artist in 1976 and her works have brought her global acclaim. She has exhibited extensively and is included in many prestigious collections such as the Johannesburg Art Gallery, Iziko South African National Gallery in Cape Town, Pretoria Art Museum, Oliewenhuis Art Museum in Bloemfontein, and the South African Department of Arts and Culture. In 2002, she was awarded the Silver Level of the Order of the Baobab by then-President Thabo Mbeki. In 2023, she received an honorary doctorate in art and design from the University of Johannesburg.