Steve Maphoso
everything seems so bright, acrylic on stretched canvas, 65 cm x 55 cm, 2020
everything seems so bright, acrylic on stretched canvas, 65 cm x 55 cm, 2020
everything seems so bright, acrylic on stretched canvas, 40 cm x 30 cm, 2020
everything seems so bright, acrylic on stretched canvas, 40 cm x 30 cm, 2020
Peaceful mind, acrylic on stretched canvas, 65 cm x 55 cm, 2020
Beautiful creature, pen with watercolor and acrylic on board, 82 cm x 70 cm, 2020
[Untitled], pen and acrylic on board, 51 cm x 38 cm, 2020
Beauty, charcoal and acrylic on mounting board, 46cm x 42 cm
Artist Statement
An African visual artist, my principal focus is my “Rebuilding Myself” series, which explores themes of depression, personal struggles, and social issues.
For the past decade, I have tried to express in my work my imagination, my emotions, and the problems I and others face daily. Nature and the African woman often inspire me.
Using locally sourced materials and a contemporary art technique that requires no more than a paint brush and a bit of tea (the tea represents the camouflage uniforms of the South African and Angola National Defense Force, which fought in Angola’s civil war), I am able to convey through my paintings and drawings my thoughts about artistic freedom and other social issues. I am not a great writer but my artistic creations can and do speak for me.
About the Artist
Steve Maphoso was born in 1990 in the municipality of Viana in the province of Luanda, the capital city of Angola. Currently, he lives and works in South Africa, where he moved with his family during Angola’s civil war.
A full-time, emerging artist, Steve Maphoso has been exhibiting his paintings, drawings, and collages since 2017, when a selection of his work was included in the Gavin Art Project, which supports families with children with cancer by engaging artists to create and sell artwork that reflects the children’s interests and financially benefits their families. Since then, he has shown in group exhibitions at Johann van Heerden Art Gallery, Trent Gallery, Art Afrique, IDC Industrial Development Corporation, and, most recently, Daville Baillie Gallery. His work was featured in 2019 in the Mazars Egoli Art Fair, which offers emerging and established artists’ work. His first solo exhibition is planned for 2021.
Based in Soshanguve, where his Rebuilding Myself Studios is a work-in-progress, Steve Maphoso has received considerable support from galleries, and his images have appeared in documentaries and on social media networks.
North Waveland, a platform for artists and a collective for curators, represents Steve Maphoso.
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