David Koloane
The township of Alexandra, Johannesburg in South Africa is where David Koloane (1938 – 2019) was born. He spent his career making the world a more hospitable place for Black artists during and after apartheid. He achieved this through his pioneering work as an artist, writer, curator, teacher, and mentor to young and established artists at a time when such vocations were restricted to the white population of South Africa. His Johannesburg has always been David’s primary subject matter and his works are populated with images of cityscapes, townships, street life, jazz musicians, traffic jams, migration, dogs, and birds. His scenes are a blend of exuberant and sombre.His work has been widely exhibited – both at home in South Africa and internationally. He was honoured by the government of the Netherlands for his contribution to South African art and is also the recipient of honorary doctorates from Wits and Rhodes Universities.
