Mandlenkosi Mavengere has the ability to capture the essence of hope and endurance in his family and the community of Africa, through his beautifully detailed artworks. They reflect on socio-economic migration and the shift of personal identity, whilst exploring the journey of wealth-seeking from within. His upcoming exhibition ‘On Golden Soil’ is a study of the people that choose to migrate and the ambitions that drive them to do it. Individuals leave their familiar homes and territories, searching for better fortunes in larger cities and foreign countries. Often, many of them temporarily place their dreams on hold to support themselves in the immediate future and adopt any role that meets this need. Through these artworks, Mavengere narrates tales of his much-beloved ‘anchor’ – his grandfather, himself and his fellow migrants. He utilises the ‘Gondruala’ – a fictitious currency used as a backdrop in his artworks; this constantly reminds the viewer of the driving force of wealth and what it represents to Mavengere and his fellow fortune seekers.
“My banknote artworks are a framework within which one can observe the issues of migration with relevance to the socio-economic divergence of one identity and the convergence of another”.
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