'Man Of The Hour' - Samson Mnisi solo
October 06, 2022 - October 20, 2022
In collaboration with Asisebenze Art Atelier and Studio Nxumalo at Keys Art Mile
Between 17 – 19 February 2023, the Asisebenze Art Atelier (AAA) made their debut showing at The Investec Cape Town International Art Fair.
In just the second year of existence our gallery-slash-studio-slash-dealership would leave a lasting impression on the fair.
We managed to do so by choosing not to present our full roster of 22 dynamic, exciting and complex artists. Instead we chose to intently put the spotlight on a single artist.
That artist was the now late Samson Mnisi. This decision was our nod of respect and farewell to the elder of the AAA space and community who had passed on months earlier. Tragically, this was a mere day after the opening his “Man of the Hour” solo exhibition held at Johannesburg’s Keyes Art Mile space.
The Man of the Hour exhibition, in Johannesburg and the much more concentrated incarnation in Cape Town, illustrated how Mnisi, the man, personified every aspect of the art practice he created.
His fusion of abstract painting, African spirituality and a fondness for indigenous cultures and knowledge systems were presented vibrantly and dynamically on canvases, doors and prints.
Each work is seemingly able to give insight into the secrets of life, love, spirituality and hope through the artist’s use of pictographic symbols. Circular, triangular and rectangular forms partner with splashes of colour and jagged lines that all become visual cyphers for the viewer’s deciphering and unpacking.
Whether through a impasto thick layering of his surfaces or much more minimal approaches to his chosen mediums, Samson Mnisi’s creations always promised a rare fullness and richness seldom found in today’s art market. This is undoubtedly because his artworks encompassed more than five decades of life experience, which often presented glimpses of a life lived with experiences that span the full gambit of exhilarating highs, earth shattering lows and everything else in-between.
The visual culmination of a lifetime lived with the reckless abandon of a true creative rock star, while simultaneously embodying the wisdom of a visual sage all seem to hibernate silently in these artworks.
For all those who had experienced the Asisebenze Art Atelier booth at the 2023 Investec Cape Town International Art Fair, it was not a mere solo showing from a Johannesburg artist.
Rather, Man of the Hour was the concentrated wisdom, emotion and experience of a combination of countless hours, many days, numerous months and a multitude of years witnessed and encapsulated through the creative ability of one man - Samson Mnisi.
He will forever be remembered by those who experienced his talent as truly being the man of every hour whose work is to be experienced and enjoyed.