Never pass on an opportunity to spend time with Phillemon Hlungwani. Five minutes in and this acclaimed artist and born raconteur will have you swept up in a story of his work (and by extension, life) that is as mesmerising as it is informative.
Discussing the huge number of pastel and charcoal pieces in his latest exhibition, Mitsheketo yale makaya (Stories from a place I call home), is no exception. “Just imagine walking with these women to church. Or sitting listening to this gent captivating the crowd,” he says, pointing to artworks laid out in front of us.
He is right. In an instant it’s a Sunday morning and there’s a chill in the air as the Limpopo sun starts to cast its rays over the long stretch of veld. Or it’s a scorching lunchtime and we’ve settled under a canopy of trees. Hlungwani’s art is that evocative. Through his skilled drawing he has brought an entire world and, more specifically, a community, to life.
The frozen glimpses of this sketched place are, no doubt, largely inspired by his birthplace of Thomo in Giyani. Hlungwani splits his time between Johannesburg and the Limpopo village, and rural life is pivotal to his existence and art.
The works pulse with colour, pattern and humanity, and there is always something new to spot in his thoughtfully structured compositions. “Your eye must travel,” Hlungwani says of the way he hopes audiences will experience the works.
Through these images, he is also inviting the viewer to engage with ideas about a range of topics, including the critical role of women in this society, of the hardships of rural life, and of the joys too. In a way they are also a commentary on his personal success and the highs and lows of that.
Ultimately though, Hlungwani sees this body of work and its message as overwhelmingly positive. Without missing a beat, he says: “Art is where I get my happiness. I can’t wait to touch the charcoal, to see the paper.”
Phillemon Hlungwani’s ‘Mitsheketo yale makaya (Stories from a place I call home)’ runs until November 2 at Everard Read Johannesburg.
