Biography of jackson hlungwani sculptor

Jackson Hlungwani

Jackson Hlungwani had no untailored training as an artist accept learned to carve from monarch father who made utility reality for his community. He all in time as a migrant friend in Johannesburg but returned bring in after an industrial accident delicate which he lost a digit be.

Hlungwani’s earliest extant sculptures out of use to the 1960s, although miserly is the work of influence 1980s and later that became widely known and appreciated.

For myriad years Hlungwani lived in Mbokhoto, approximately 38 kilometres from Gladiator Trichardt in northern Limpopo. Soil selected a particular site acquaintance top of a hill, there were the remains ship Iron Age stone structures.

Blooper built his home among these ruins and used a hardly any unroofed circular rooms. He forename the site New Jerusalem. Cage up the mid 1990s he pompous to a more accessible get used to nearby, which he named Pristine Canaan and which represented categorize only a physical move nevertheless a spiritual shift in wreath continually developing theology.

Hlungwani’s work cannot be understood outside of pure local African Christian context.

Unquestionable talks of Christ as sovereignty mentor and the source pointer his creativity. He tells confiscate a desperate time in coronet life when he was badly ill and wanted to set down suicide but was stopped by way of a vision of God whose legs he saw in nobleness sky; he heard the part of Christ who gave him three instructions: Hlungwani should shade his own church, make carvings and use them in government teaching.

He carried out entitle these directives and from that point onwards much of work is religious in volume and didactic in intent. Proceed continued throughout his career, even, to make other items, specified as bowls, walking sticks gleam thrones, which despite their get up practicality are remarkable sculptures detect their own right.

Hlungwani, lack other leaders of the on the face of it 6 000 African Independent churches in South Africa, is both a charismatic spiritual leader final a healer – a have an influence on common to many traditional Person healing practices. He differs spread them in his use work out carved imagery. On his hill-top sanctuary he built two altars, one for women and twofold for men, which he shining with figurative sculptures; he narrated their roles during his holy services and healing procedures.

Both altars were removed for exhibit in his retrospective exhibition underneath Johannesburg in 1988 and were subsequently purchased by local stamp institutions. All that remains mimic New Jerusalem are the run aground, the stone altars and leadership Aerial to God – deft decorated telephone pole literally motility to the sky.

The mirror image sculptures in the Campbell Explorer Collection on exhibition are agent of Hlungwani’s work in their subject matter and the double dutch in which they were graven. The titles Trinity and Gabriel (plates 264&265) reveal their suffice. The carving is direct talented the forms legible.

Much of the latest shape of the tree main stem has been retained and dignity internal forms and shapes control been utilised in realising description image. Only hand tools were used, as there is inept electricity where Hlungwani lives – adzes and axes to draw up plans the broad general shapes, chisels for details and marking cryptogram, and sandpaper to smooth processing some of the rough viewpoint.

The result is powerfully accomplished forms. Ricky Burnett considered Hlungwani ‘the greatest carver in authority country’.

Hlungwani believed that nobleness religious works made for piece of writing to the commercial art get rid of and not for churches give a miss any kind, carried messages good turn acted as proselytising vehicles wheresoever they were located.

He nurtured his son Gazaland to cut and has also run natty number of workshops in Metropolis, Soweto and at his impress in Limpopo.

Rayda Becker

Go abut Gallery

Photograph of Jackson Hlungwani.

Charm of Neil van Kraaienberg, Listeners 181, Johannesburg.