The many talents of Blessing Ngobeni

Born in the small town of Tzaneen in Limpopo, Ngobeni moved to Johannesburg at a very young age, where he experienced many hardships, from being homeless, to serving time in prison. He took to art in prison, witnessing the humanity it brought to the lives of fellow inmates. From there he joined the Tsoga (Wake Up) Art Workshops and later on went to study printmaking at Artist Proof Studio.

Curated by Thembinkosi Goniwe, the exhibition showcases the artist’s expansive skill set, in particular his ability to work across a vast array of materials, figuration styles, and formats and features paintings, sculptures, installations, and video animations. Ngobeni has never shied away from confrontational depictions of the greedy nature of capitalism making the corruption, incompetence, and duplicity of the current South African ruling elite the subjects of his art.

The exhibition is on show at the Standard Bank Gallery until 16^th September 2023.