Durban — Acclaimed artist Nanda Soobben’s painting Gift to the Givers will go on auction at the Riverside Hotel in Durban on Wednesday.
Soobben donated the painting to the Giving Hope Foundation of Phoenix. They will auction the work and the proceeds will go to Gift of the Givers.
Soobben said he created the painting in honour of Imtiaz Sooliman. It depicts Sooliman among legends who fought for South Africa’s freedom, including Nelson Mandela, Steve Biko, Mohandas Gandhi, Albert Luthuli, Rahima Moosa, Lilian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Sophia Williams, Helen Suzman, Desmond Tutu, Phyllis Naidoo and Dulcie September.
“Our freedom is under serious threat. It was the least I could do,” he said.
Valley of a Thousand Hills artist Bongani Luthuli’s painting of Madiba will be on display at Woza Moya in the Hillcrest Aids centre shop until the end of the month. The Woza Moya creative entrepreneurship project has been honouring a talented visual artist every month over lockdown to build their profile, showcase their work and remind the public of the incredible art-makers active in the project from the Valley of a Thousand Hills.
Each month a different artist is paid to paint a 1.2m x 1.2m wall panel.
Luthuli’s painting, Mandela, is a mixed-media piece combining fabric, paint, pastel and wool on canvas, in celebration of Mandela month.
Luthuli is a Durban-based mixed media creative and fashion artist. He was born in Matatiele and raised in Mount Fletcher where he discovered his artistic talent.
He moved to Durban in 2004 to further his studies in art at the Durban University of Technology, after five years of working in a sugar factory.
He was introduced to textile design which led him to establishing his clothing brand, “Nattydread Clothing”.
Luthuli draws his inspiration mainly from African livity (Rastafarianism) and different traditions. Both his art and the Nattydread Clothing brand has been featured in Selimathunzi and the first fashion catalogue in Isolezwe.
He has worked with artists such as Zamani Makhanya, Sfiso KaMkame, Themba Shibase, and John Roome.
Luthuli is now a member of a Durban-based creative organisation, Amasosha Art Movement.
Daily News