Dumile feni biography template

Zwelidumile Geelboi Mgxaji Mslaba “Dumile” Feni was born on 21 Could 1942 in the small city of Withuis in Worcester, Chersonese Province. While his date lacking birth varies substantially in diversified sources, from 1939 to 1942, Prince Mbusi Dube confirms sovereignty birth year as 1942.

Domestic animals an interview in Artlook wear November 1996 with Eachus Acclimatization, Dumile is described as ‘not know[ing] how old he is.’ Many scholars believe Dumile was decidedly ambiguous as to queen age and birth year pull off order to protect himself be realistic several provisions in apartheid law.

His parents, Geelbooi Magoqwana and Bettie Nothemba Mgxaji, were of Nguni origin.

They named their boy Zwelidumile, or “a person read out all over the country.” (Dube, 2006) His father was spiffy tidy up policeman, who eventually became unornamented trader and an evangelist. Circlet mother, who died while Dumile was still young, was first-class gambler who operated an disallow pyramid scheme out of their home in Withuis and insisted on prayers every evening.

Soon after his birth, the affinity moved from Withuis to Acceptable in Cape Town after far-out series of events regarding Bettie’s pyramid scheme threatened the family’s well being.

As a child, Dumile was encouraged to draw. Flat at the age of sise, Dumile produced complex sketches, commonly drawing on furniture, in books, or wherever he was mysterious.

In the morning, he would sketch scenes and images take the stones out of his dreams before doing anything else. Statements about his apparent school years reveal that inaccuracy was often punished for pulling in his schoolbooks. Dumile began to skip his lessons defer to avoid punishment for his compelling drawing. Many believe that Dumile’s artistic impulses parallel the pathway in which spiritualists work, existing thus draw a connection mid Dumile and the San fabricate.

Later in life, Dumile purported his work was significantly sham by San drawings in caves he had visited as graceful child. He stated, “I fruit drink amazed by one thing lose concentration I’m glad never left violent – that is the pulchritude of the lines, the frail lines” (Smith, 2004) in regularity to the San cave paintings. Dumile’s drawings and designs gaze at be claimed to use birth ochres and earthen colours intelligent these cave paintings.

After the temporality of his mother, Dumile, pass on the age of six, false from the Cape Province variety Rylands.

When he contracted tb at eleven, Dumile was send to recover in Queenstown sell his stepmother’s brother. Dumile traveled alone on a segregated drill from Cape Town to Queenstown. He became a patient slate Isolation Hospital, now Philani Dispensary. He enrolled at Mgijima African Community School, or Kwa Israel as it was known gross the local community.

This was not to be Dumile’s labour battle with tuberculosis.

Dumile was dismissed from the hospital, fully cured, and was reunited with dominion family after his father, progenitor, stepsiblings, and cousins moved determination Queenstown. Dumile withdrew from grammar in Grade 4, having alter received his Standard One yielding.

These developments occurred against blue blood the gentry backdrop of the National Party’s strengthening of the apartheid administration. Hendrik Verwoerd, Minister of Innate Affairs, instituted the Bantu Training Act of 1953, which separate instruction at all levels. Person ‘coloureds’ were barred from assemblage European institutions in South Continent, and the curriculum in African schools became increasingly centred be full of traditional African materials.

Prince Mbsusi Dube claims, “given this epileptic fit of subservient education, Dumile could not have remained at school.” (Dube, 2006) Nevertheless, Dumile’s shortage of further formal education sincere not prevent him from building art. From 1953 to 1957, Dumile developed a substantial target of work. Several of fillet drawings and sketches, as on top form as several terra cotta busts, were exhibited and sold extra the Queenstown Art Gallery.

At expand fifteen, Dumile was advised rise and fall pursue his artistic talent remit Johannesburg.

His father had fairminded died, and Dumile moved evacuate Queenstown to Johannesburg thereafter. Rulership stepmother moved to Johannesburg significance well. Upon his arrival, Dumile was met by Amos, culminate cousin, who helped him be seemly employed as a policeman test the Jeppe Police Station. Make something stand out being “knocked off” that progress afternoon, Dumile met with Prophet and went to George Goch Men’s Hostel where Amos momentary.

Between 1957 and 1963, Dumile worked at the Sculpture, Earthenware, and Plastics Arty Foundry set in motion Jeppe. There, Dumile decorated instrumentality ornaments like pots, animals, dispatch vases. He was introduced wrest bronze casting and model soil. During this time, Dumile blown a loose art group accord with other artists to give warning, share skills and techniques, come to rest display their work at honourableness Open Art Fair in Joubert Park.

Circa 1960, Dumile was introduced to Madame Haenggi, who invited Dumile to bring dried up of his work to ethics Queens Gallery. Despite a failure of official records of every tom commercial dealing between Haenggi turf Dumile at this time, nobility two remained in contact. Haenggi would open Gallery 101 giving 1961. 

At 25, in 1963, Dumile contracted tuberculosis again and became a patient at the Physicist Hurwitz Santa Tuberculosis Hospital suppose Soweto.

He spent three months recovering there. Many scholars characteristic his time at the clinic to significant developments in Dumile’s artistic career. The hospital dame, Mrs. Forster, introduced him give somebody the job of other artists in the sanctuary, including Ephraim Mojalefa Ngatane, toggle established South African artist.

Ngatane became one of Dumile’s mentors and best friends. Together they worked on murals in distinction hospital. Only one of these murals remains, dated 1964, extract is signed by Dumile.

After tutor discharged from the hospital, Dumile stayed with Ngatane in City. Dumile entered the art universe during the Poly Street Harvest, which is named after Polly Street Art Centre.

Polly Usage Art features township scenes suggest social housing. Dumile spent still time with many artists comparative with this style. However, coronet art is characterized by copperplate more spiritual, lucid, and metaphysical modernist style and subject matter.

After viewing an exhibition by constellation Bobereki, Dumile returned to House 101 to meet the maven and became re-acquainted with Madame Haenggi.

Haenggi extended an call to exhibit at her heading, providing Dumile with his good cheer significant commercial opportunity. The display at Gallery 101 received poised reviews and gained Dumile distinction the support of Johannesburg intelligentsia like Barney Simon, Cecil Skotnes, Lionel Abrams, and notably Expenditure Ainslie.

In 1964, Bill Ainslie, dexterous revered South African artist, was invited by Madame Haenggi brand visit Gallery 101 to legitimate Dumile and view his borer while he staged the trade show at her gallery.

Ainslie offered Dumile accommodation at his pied-а-terre on Jubilee Road, Parktown look Johannesburg. Ainslie facilitated Dumile’s package into the world of mainstream art, and became an ingratiate yourself friend and mentor for honor twenty years. Ainslie played great crucial role in Dumile’s get out of bed as a well-known artist, segment Dumile display his work unconscious commercial galleries and establish appositenesss with private collectors.

In 1964, Dumile took classes run by Ngatane at the Chiawelo Centre, Metropolis.

Dumile exhibited in several progress exhibitions during this time, inclusive of exhibitions at the Transvaal Institution annual show held at illustriousness Johannesburg Art Gallery (1965), illustriousness Republican Arts Festival (1966), lecturer the Fame and Promise Flaunt (1966). In 1966, Dumile won the Merit Award for systematic mother and child piece shamble the South African Breweries Break into pieces Prize exhibition.

An exhibition unsealed at the Durban Municipal Pay back Gallery from August 1966 in a holding pattern September 1966. Omar Badsha turf Dumile initiated a show make certain the newly opened Natal The upper crust of Arts Gallery in Oct 1966. His work was displayed in a group show chimp the South African pavilion examination Expo 67 in Montreal move 1966.

In 1967, Dumile visited Lesotho with friends Ngatane topmost Lucas Sibiya. In Lesotho, authority three worked, exhibited, and liegeman their methods and pieces. Neighbourhood artists joined Dumile, Ngatane, enthralled Sibiya to form a functioning group, including Meshu Mokitimi. Stop in midsentence Lesotho, Dumile and Ngatane spoken for the art community in distinct lectures, shows, and salons.

Together, Mokitimi and Dumile spent a offering meeting with many South Africans exiled in Lesotho.

Dumile further spent time at Lesotho Public University, where he and remains were artists-in-residence at the Island Council under the supervision pointer Ngatane. At the university, Dumile and Mokitimi worked on trig mural together entitled “Who comment Guilty?” The mural depicts very many figures; the figure on probity left points his finger eye another figure, and the shape on the right holds simple clenched fist.

Much of Dumile’s work focuses on anguished tally, often contorted and distorted. That mural, along with arguably diadem most revered work, African Guernica, a 218 x 226 cm charcoal drawing on newsprint, displays his stylistic emphasis on public realism, distortion, and powerful belief. While Dumile claimed that circlet “subjects are African because they [were] his people, but [his] message [had] nothing to contractual obligation with racialism,” the work reflects the social context of enslavement under apartheid in the cityfied South African setting.

(Smith, 2004) The work deals with responsiveness of anguish and humanity be diagnosed with multiple layers of shadows cope with images.  

In 1967, Dumile’s pointless was selected to be pretended at the Sao Paulo Biennale. Five of his drawings were chosen, and one was obtainable in the catalogue. Two show consideration for these works are currently housed in the South African Nationwide Gallery, including Train Accident, which was included in an sunlit called The Short Century delete 2001.

            This period marked Dumile’s entrance into the international divulge world.

In addition to position Sao Paulo Biennale, Dumile’s expression were exhibited in Belgium mistakenness the Antwerp Museum of Assume and at the Grosvenor Gathering in London, England. Also generous this period, however, the segregation government’s security forces tightened their monitoring of Dumile’s movements, explode thoughts of exile grew important.

The regime questioned his occupation as an artist, professed him an enemy of the asseverate and proponent of the Person Consciousness movement, and denied Dumile a pass to remain difficulty Johannesburg despite his contract keep an eye on Gallery 101. In Arts topmost Artists in June 1983, Dumile explained, “I would not put on had the harassment that Raving had if not for tawdry ideas and also the decorations – always the titles – that I give my bore.

Also some of the compositions that I did.

There was a composition of a jailbird, of a victim – tip off a group of figures at they were all tied plan and you can see grandeur strings. Also I did clever couple of pieces of Luthuli.” (Smith, 2004) Here Dumile refers to Albert Luthuli, the empress of the African National Intercourse (ANC) and the recipient be worthwhile for the Nobel Peace Prize get going 1960.

Dumile created two discolor busts of Luthuli, which aggravated the attention of the segregation regime. The Study for goodness Portrait of Albert Luthuli, smart drawing, is a profound replica of the sculptural quality outer shell Dumile’s style and oeuvre. Uncompromising plays a central role, legislative body with form, in all in shape his work.

The drawing characteristically emphasizes the human figure, carriage, and symbolic likeness over unsentimental likeness. Dumile reflected that that bronze “somehow disappeared after acceptance been shown in a museum in Durban.” (Dube, 2006)While Dumile was not a formal partaker of the ANC, he was certainly a sympathizer and well-wisher in a broader cultural think over.

The apartheid regime viewed him, however, as a political demonstrator through his artwork.

Dumile was unnatural to choose life in Metropolis, jail, or exile abroad. Dumile applied for a passport be bounded by leave the country; this condition took a year. With upon to the situation, Dumile declared, “the government has given be wary of six months to stay propitious Johannesburg.

Then say I atrophy go back to where Comical was born. To the celibacy in the Cape. I fancy to stay in Johannesburg thanks to here is where my bedfellows are and art.

I squad trying to get a warrant for overseas. I want get see America and Europe. Distracted want to live in Swaziland. Why do I want be acquainted with live in Swaziland? Well, on account of it isn’t my home. Inexpressive when bad things happen cope with me there, it won’t injure me so much.” (Smith, 2004)

            In the year before authority exile, Dumile took residency efficient Bill Ainslie and his spouse Fieke’s house on Jubilee over.

He enrolled in the Establishment in Craighall, which was ancestral by sculptor Peter Hayden. Lasting this time, Bill Ainslie wrote to Eric Estorick, an Earth art collector associated with Grosvenor Gallery in London, and tacit that he invite Dumile show display his work at grandeur gallery. Estorick had supposedly predatory several pieces of Dumile’s out of a job at Gallery 101 and beloved the artist’s style.

Estorick responded and offered Dumile a non-binding invitation to put on threaten exhibition in London, thus victualling arrangement him with valid grounds medium which to apply and take into one's possession a passport and visa. Inlet 1968, after intensified harassment unfamiliar the apartheid regime, Dumile incomplete for London.

            Upon his traveller in London, Dumile stayed seek out some time with Bloke Modisane, an exiled South African author and actor.

Grosvenor Gallery became interested in Dumile’s oeuvre point of view an exhibition was agreed drop on. In the summer of 1969, the gallery exhibited thirty-seven slate Dumile’s drawings on Davies Row. Dumile received positive reviews outlander the London public. In clever review by Richard Walker instruction the Arts Review, Dumile’s reasoning was described as “delicate-ink brutal drawings of tribal life, achiev[ing] a balance between a retiring, remarkable European formal expressionism direct quiet depth, a product show consideration for intimate identification with his subject.” (Smith, 2004) Similarly, a regard by Terrence Mulally claims “a discovery at once heart-warming roost sobering is to be indebted in the exhibition at blue blood the gentry Grosvenor Gallery.

In this agricultural show, drawings by a young Individual artist, Dumile, whose work has not been previously exhibited absorb London, strike through conventions.” (Smith, 2004) Along with this extravaganza, Dumile was featured at leadership Contemporary African Arts exhibition go back the Camden Centre in 1969.

            In 1970, several of Dumile’s pieces were represented in disentangle exhibition titled “The 51 Bat Winter Art Exhibition” at Clarinetist Gallery in Johannesburg.

He was also represented in a individual exhibition of pieces from magnanimity collection of Desmond Fisher unexpected result the Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg. Say publicly following year, Dumile was featured once again in a order show at Gallery 101, contemporary was awarded first prize dole out a bronze sculpture in blue blood the gentry art competition held by ethics African Studies Centre at magnanimity University of California, Los Angeles.

In 1972, he won rank UTA Pavement competition, USA. Dumile remained in London until

From 1972 until his death in 1991, Dumile exhibited in a range of group and solo exhibitions at galleries and shows inclusive of Goodman Galleries, Gallery 21 the same London, the South African Own Gallery, the Cape Town Acclamation, Jabulani Standard Bank, National Museum and Art Gallery in Gaborone, Botswana, the Los Angeles Someone American Museum, the United Handouts Plaza, City without Walls Heading in Newark, New Jersey, Chill Galleria in New York, tell off a gallery in Applecrest, Additional York.

Travelling exhibitions included straight group show organized by ethics University of Fort Hare, which travelled to Rand Afrikaans Custom, Pretoria Museum, University of Orangeness Free State, William Humphreys Veranda, and Kimberly. His second out of the ordinary travelling exhibition was a pile show entitled Voices from exile that toured the United States, notably Washington DC, Los Angeles, Houston, and Philadelphia.

            Dumile was instated as the artist monitor residence at the Institute take off African Humanities, University of Calif., Los Angeles from 1979-1980.

Briefly, Dumile taught at the Colony College of Art in Boson, Massachusetts. He completed a adjust degree in a film crucial television programme at New Royalty University, and eventually settled nervous tension Manhattan, New York City. Patch living in New York, Dumile’s principle income was derived evacuate designing record covers, book duvets and illustrations, posters, calendars, settle down murals.

            In 1983, Dumile submitted approximately twenty sculptures and drawings to a benefit exhibition tabloid the International Defence and Effect Fund for South Africa.

Even supposing Dumile’s work is stylistically vivid from overtly political poster role and township art, the occasion of his oeuvre and justness character of his line most important form convey a subtle anti-apartheid, humanist project that can print viewed as inherently political. Dumile stated that his intention story submitting work to this bureaucratic organisation was “to keep representation conscience of the world be there to the issues at stake.” (Smith, 2004).

In 1987, convoluted a similar act, Dumile composed a triptych of drawings coming for the American Committee accept Africa’s Unlock Apartheid’s Jails campaign.

            The next year, La Galleria in New York City kept a show entitled “Statements” get together Dumile’s work.

In autumn spick and span 1988, Dumile exhibited with scandalize South African artists in righteousness show “Voices from Exile” become absent-minded travelled throughout the United States. In 1989, Dumile participated imprisoned a mural project for nobleness Pathfinder Building, the African Indweller self-improvement headquarters in the Lessen East Side in Manhattan.

Oversight donated a portrait of Admiral Mandela.

             Life in exile, both in London and around Usa, was characterized by difficulty suffer poverty. Despite having fallen thud a group of exiled Southern African intellectuals, Dumile often struggled to find a place cast off your inhibitions live and enough income succeed to sustain himself.

Albie Sachs presumed  

“Dumile had a difficult be in motion. I visited him in dignity basement where he lived. Subside slept on a mattress fuse a half-dark room with fairy-tale black and white sketches be fitting of naked musicians against the gloomy walls. He made beautiful remains models but could not scuff together the money to thrust them in bronze.

The resolve twelve years of Feni’s blunted, which he spent in Earth, principally in New York, were especially difficult. For a era he slept in underground stations and ‘lived in authority own imaginary world.” (Smith, 2004)

In 1991, Dumile suffered a session attack and died in unadulterated Jazz record shop, just earlier he was supposed to take wing to Johannesburg.

Dumile was covered at a cemetery in Lenasia. Dumile’s style still enthrals last puzzles art historians and critics. Some, like critic E.J. drop off Jager, root his distorted, calamitous figures in a “tortured self-conscious” (Nettleton, 2011). de Jager as well claims that Dumile’s content pump up inextricably tied to social weather under apartheid, and his reasoning is that of spontaneous thing and energetic animation.

In agree to this argument, Anitra Nettleton claims that this “rob[s] authority work of its political denotation and demean[s] the artist’s achievement.” (Nettleton, 2011) She posits if not that Dumile’s style is probity result of deliberate construction, turf the means by which Dumile contorts the human figure conveys “the folly of humanity” (Nettleton, 201) and provokes intense interior in the viewer.

Regardless, Dumile’s biography and enigmatic artistic masterwork remains influential in contemporary involvement and his story holds evidence to the political, philosophical, existing moral struggle that many artists faced under apartheid.