Mbuyisa Mphalala was born in Soweto, South Africa, but raised in the neighbouring Kingdom of Swaziland in the seventies. He studied commercial art but left to study fine art with a group that was self-taught. He has been in the UK for 3 years.
"I was strongly influenced by my late Gogo’s (Grandmother) colourful, geometric shapes in the designs of beadwork she used to make on traditional (Swazi) ceremonial gear and accessories. I work on heavily textured canvas in which I have en-graved geometrical shapes, motifs, symbols, semi-figures and transfer photographs, reversed text and drawings complimented by various colourful tones of acrylics and oil paints."
The effect is at once both traditional and current combining ancient and modern techniques and images often in juxtaposition to explore questions of our time.
Mbuyisa has exhibited in South Africa, Swaziland, USA and UK . His work is privately collected largely in Swaziland and in South Africa. He has also done public commission works and was last year commissioned by Southwark Cathedral to create a map of Zimbabwe showing the link between the diocese of Southwark and Zimbabwe.
His most recent show was at the Café Gallery in Southwark Park last summer. This was a group exhibition of work created by Afro-Carribean’s from an Age Concern Programme in Camberwell. He and his wife, Moji, have been working for the past 3 years to produce the art with the group. The show was called ‘The Journey’ and dealt with their experiences of immigration to the UK.
