Mbali Dhlamini (born 1990) is a South African artist. She predominantly works in photography and time-based media.
Life
Dhlamini was born 1990 in
Soweto
Soweto () is a township of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for ''South Western Townships''. Formerly a s ...
, Johannesburg.
From 2008 to 2009, she studied printmaking at the Artist Proof Studio in Johannesburg. She then studied Visual Arts at the
University of Johannesburg
The University of Johannesburg (UJ) is a public university located in Johannesburg, South Africa. The University of Johannesburg came into existence on 1 January 2005 as the result of a merger between the Rand Afrikaans University (RAU), the Te ...
, where she obtained a Bachelor of Technology in 2013. She then studied at the
University of the Witwatersrand
The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), is a multi-campus South African Public university, public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits ( o ...
, Johannesburg, from 2014, graduating with a
Master of Arts
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
in 2015.
Her thesis was titled, ''The master's cloth: a rainbow nation, exploring faith and spirituality through colour, a study of Apostolic and Zionist movements in Soweto''.
Professors
Raimi Gbadamosi
Raimi Olakunle Gbadamosi (born 1965 in Manchester) is a contemporary British conceptual artist and writer. His work addresses themes of identity and art theory, using his trademark motif of yellow, white and black.
Life and work
His middle name ...
and David Andrew provided Dhlamini with academic support during her thesis.
Mbali Dhlamini lives in Johannesburg.
Work
In her work, Dhlamini deals with postcolonial issues: with spirituality (Series "Non-Promised Land: Bana Ba Thari Entsho") and with the craft of indigo dyeing in Senegal (Series "Look Into").
In 2014, Dhlamini's work was included in an exhibition ''South African Voices: A New Generation of Printmakers'' at the
Washington Printmakers Gallery. In 2015, she exhibited at the 6th
Beijing International Art Biennale.
The same year, Dhlamini created a monotype
silkscreen
Screen printing is a printing technique where a mesh is used to transfer ink (or dye) onto a substrate, except in areas made impermeable to the ink by a blocking stencil. A blade or squeegee is moved across the screen to fill the open mesh ...
, "A part of me I" during a
Google Arts & Culture
Google Arts & Culture (formerly Google Art Project) is an online platform of high-resolution images and videos of artworks and cultural artifacts from partner cultural organizations throughout the world.
It utilizes high-resolution image technol ...
89plus residency program.
In 2019, her work was included in a show at the European Cultural Center.
The same year, JPMorgan Chase Art Collection acquired Dhlamini's photographs featuring African women with traditional indigo dyeing.
The source of her photographs was a museum in Senegal during her academic research.
Awards and honors
From October to December 2021, she was Artist in Residence of the ''Embassy of Foreign Artists'' of the Swiss Canton of
Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
.
In December 2021, the ''Visionary Award'' from The Javett Art Centre at the
University of Pretoria
The University of Pretoria ( af, Universiteit van Pretoria, nso, Yunibesithi ya Pretoria) is a multi-campus public university, public research university in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa. The university was ...
was given to the Preempt Group Collective, which is facilitated by Dhlamini and Phumulani Ntuli.
See also
*
Women photographers
The participation of women in photography goes back to the very origins of the process. Several of the earliest women photographers, most of whom were from Britain or France, were married to male pioneers or had close relationships with their fa ...
*
List of South African women artists
References
External links
CV and images
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dhlamini, Mbali
1990 births
Living people
21st-century South African women artists
South African women photographers
21st-century photographers
21st-century women photographers
University of Johannesburg alumni
University of the Witwatersrand alumni
Artists from Johannesburg
People from Soweto
South African printmakers
Women printmakers