Notes

Phillemon Hlungwani studied at Artist Proof Studio and Wits University (PGCE), in Johannesburg. As one of South Africa’s burgeoning contemporary artists, he is distinguished by his technical prowess within the drawing and printmaking genres. In this substantial drawing, the artist combines an observed village-scape from rural Giyani in the Limpopo Province, where he was born, with symbolic elements.

Hlungwani speaks about the elder generation of his birth place as the dominant and stable demographic in such areas and his profound regard for the wisdom and guidance he received from them during his childhood and young adult life. He credits these relationships with the deep-rooted spiritual connection he shares with that rural environment and its inhabitants. These themes of spirituality and wisdom, which are recurring in the artist’s work, are suggested by the monumental, deeply-rooted trees and the title of the work, Vutlhari, the Xitsonga word for wisdom. Hlungwani eloquently captures the vibrations of the land, the passing sounds and sensations of the environment permeated with a spiritual essence, through the lively arced lines which animate the surface of the work.

Provenance

Donated by the artist