Colbert mashile biography
- Colbert Mashile was.
- He has become known for his earthy colours, precise draftsmanship, and witty and idiosyncratic compositions that combine animal characters and human figures.
- Colbert Mashile is a painter and visual artist who has developed a unique iconographical language within South African art, often dealing with the mystical.
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COLBERT MASHILE
COLBERT MASHILE
(b. 1972, Bushbuckridge, South Africa)
Colbert Mashile is a painter and visual artist who has developed a unique iconographical language within South African art, often dealing with the mystical, mythological and archaic elements of traditional African culture and its legacy in today’s world.
Rich in symbolism, Mashile incorporates neoclassical themes in his work and juxtaposes these with deceptively familiar objects from the artist’s everyday life. These are carefully chosen and charged with meaning, giving equal materiality to both western and African aesthetics. In so doing, Mashile creates contemporary vanitas drawings which give voice to his own story, perspective and place in the world.
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2018
As We Are, Everard Read Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa
2017
Just My Imagination, Everard Read Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa
Truth or Dare, Everard Read Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa
2016
Man’s Duality (Unearthed), CIRCA Gallery, Johannesburg
2015 (b. 1972 Bushbuckridge, South Africa) 'I come from a place that is shrouded by powerful cultural norms and customs.' In previous work, Colbert Mashile explored the psychological impact of traditional circumcision and initiation rituals on initiates. As Mashile’s work had developed, he has established a style, technique and iconography that are uniquely his own. Using acrylic water paints and charcoal on thick watercolour paper, he has become known for his earthy colours, precise draftsmanship, and witty and idiosyncratic compositions that combine animal characters and human figures – often in apparently equal-status exchanges. These are also combined with a range of props that often seem unrelated to the scenario depicted, creating a sense of dialogue at the heart of each work. Growing up in the rural areas around Bushbuckridge, Mashile spent his childhood deeply embedded in folk tales and mythology, interacting with animals (he and his friends, for instance, herded goats) and the full range of humanity. Several animals – like goats and baboons Colbert Mashile was born in 1972 in Bushbuckridge in the Mpumalanga Province of South Africa. Mashile explores the psychological impact of traditional circumcision and initiation rituals on initiates. He also explores Copyright ©peacafe.pages.dev 2025
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COLBERT MASHILE
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Mashile says, 'I come from a place that is shrouded by powerful cultural norms and customs.' These customs, such as the ritual of circumcision (which both he and his wife have undergone), informed his earliest work,
and he sought refuge and healing through art.
the often-problematic narratives of collective cultural determinants within these communities. As Mashile has matured,
the psychological underpinnings are still evident, but his imagery has transgressed these limitations to begin addressing issues such as home, language and the natural landscape. Mashile comes from a family of teachers and was expected
to join the family trend on completion of high school. While studying in Pretoria he became curious about the art
that he saw in gallery windows on the streets of Pretoria. This led him to the Johannesburg Art Foundation
and then to a degree in Fine Arts