Exclusive Nelson Makamo Solo Exhibition in London 2022: Highlights

See the exhibition here: bit.ly/3zkN9Pt
The stereotype of the lonely artist does not apply to South
African painter and draftsman Nelson Makamo. Meeting people,
speaking with them and learning about them are as important
to his practice as drawing and painting are. Togetherness, not
loneliness, is at the core of the artist’s work. It might seem
surprising, then, that the drawings he first became known for
tend to feature solitary, disembodied subjects. In these solo
portraits, Makamo’s talent for capturing the emotional intensity
and overwhelming sense of hope in his sitters is a matter of
expression and movement.
For the artist’s first UK solo exhibition in more than five years,
his characters are beginning to congregate. For the first time we
are seeing them in situ, as members of a wider community.
Alongside solitary, meditative characters, there are groups of
laughing schoolchildren, busy street scenes and other displays
of togetherness. This brings a new level of detail to Makamo’s
world: the spaces that they occupy, the clothes that they wear,
the company that they keep and the way that they look (or don’t
look) at their companions all bring depth and complexity to his
characters.
About Nelson Makamo
Johannesburg based Artist Nelson Makamo is best known for
his charcoal and oil paintings that redress decades of images
that have portrayed African children as destitute. Makamo’s
career spans the seventeen years since the year he received his
formal training as a master printer at Artist proof studios in
Johannesburg. However, he has managed to solidify an iconic
signature and a subject matter that has steadily placed him on
the global stage, making him one of the world’s most
sought-after visual artists of our time. Makamo has exhibited in
South Africa, USA, France, Italy, the Netherlands, England, and
Scotland.
His work is featured in prestigious public and private
collections. Nelson Makamo’s artwork speaks to changing the
global mindset of what it means to be an African child. His
portraits have strong emotions that every young African
possesses, from conviction, to prowess and determination. You
cannot help but resonate with every piece. His mixed media
style and unique mark-making technique that break the
scholarly rules and give his works a distinct signature. Makamo
speaks about the Africa of today as he bears witness
to his surroundings.
About Rise Art
Rise Art’s goal is to shine a light on the most exciting, talented
and culturally relevant artists of our time. We work directly with
a curated roster of emerging, mid-career and established artists
across our online sales platform and physical gallery to show
and champion their work online and in person.
With these new contexts, the emotional intensity of Makamo’s
work has not disappeared. Many of the faces in this exhibition -
their owners engaged in social activities - contain all the
emotional intensity of his early drawings. Momentarily these
faces hover above their surroundings, their innermost essences
exposed. They are both members of social groups and wider
contexts and overwhelmingly individual. They are alone,
together.
Photo Credit for the thumbnail: Vitalij Sidorovic (@ItsVPhoto on IG)

[@thabangbright4693]

It's a wow

[@_otuht]

❤

[@Iam_ofilwe]

Can we have the full interview?

[@Riseart]

Check out our instagram here: instagram.com/p/CgfE46Ul4Op/?hl=en for the full live recording.

[@ericolson9573]

🙈 𝓅𝓇𝑜𝓂𝑜𝓈𝓂

[@thabangbright4693]

It's a wow