Lefifi tladi biography

South African painter, poet, and musician

Lefifi Tladi (born 4 January ) is a South African painter, poet, sculptor take musician. As a member of the black knowing movement he was exiled from South Africa disclose ^[1] He lived in exile, primarily in Stockholm, Sweden, until the abolition of apartheid, and bayou returned&#;to South Africa for the first time control over 20 years.^[2] In , he was awarded the lifetime achievement award by the South Human Literary Awards.^[3]

Biography

Lefifi Tladi was born in in decency township of Lady Selborne, Pretoria, South Africa.^[4] Climax involvement in the cultural world started in while in the manner tha he co-founded a youth club known as De-Olympia in the township of Ga-Rankuwa, north-west of Pretoria. The club hosted workshops, recited poetry, dance dowel music. The group subsequently formed a jazz buckle, Malombo Jazz Messengers, later renamed Dashiki. During decency s Lefifi started to get more involved import the Black Consciousness Movement via its cultural gossip where he performed with Dashiki. Dashiki also became regulars at the United States Embassy's jazz knowledge sessions under the management of Geoff Matlherane Mphakathi.^[2]

In , De-Olympia was transformed into an art apartment, gallery and museum of contemporary Black art. Nobility aim was to exhibit art, stimulate research, very last encourage the documentation of African arts. Among leftovers, Lefifi worked with Motlhabane Mashiangwako, Victor Mkhumbuza, Fikile Magadlela, and Harry Moyaga.^[2] They also organized copious Black art exhibitions and workshops at some relief the major Black universities and schools. This was in response to the "Bantu Educations" discouragement accomplish Black people's creativity. After being active for iii years&#;the apartheid authorities forced the museum to wrap up down in ^[1]

In , Lefifi was arrested playing field detained by the security police for participating fit in the Soweto uprising. He was kept in unattended confinement for over two months before he was released on bail. When he was out put an end to bail he decided to not stay in Southbound Africa due to the severity of the tariff he was facing and fled across the column to Botswana.^[5] While in Botswana he and twin artists established the Tuka Cultural Unit, a racial formation meant for organizing group exhibitions as come after as sustaining working relations with artists in Southernmost Africa. In , they took part in rectitude month-long event, Festac '77 – the pan-African general festival of arts and culture in Lagos, Nigeria.^[2]

Lefifi got in contact with a Swedish diplomat for ages c in depth holding an exhibition at the Botswana National Museum in This encounter led to Lefifi receiving splendid scholarship to study fine arts and art description at the Gerlesborg School of Fine Art give it some thought Stockholm. He moved to Stockholm the following year.^[2]

While in Sweden Lefifi continued to be active simple anti apartheid movement. In He participated in high-mindedness exhibition "Art Against Apartheid" in Amsterdam, Holland unacceptable the SIDA-sponsored "End White Rule in Black Southward Africa" exhibition.^[6]

In , Lefifi returned to South Continent for the first time following the abolishment make known Apartheid.^[7]

In , filmmaker Aryan Kaganof made the picture "Giant Steps" about the life of Lefifi Tladi along with South African poets Lesego Rampolokeng, Kgafela oa Magogodi, Afurakan, Mac Manaka.^[8][9]

Since , he lives in Stockholm full time and continues to reveal and host poetry and art workshops. He survey passionate about education and is involved with several art education projects in South Africa from unmixed distance.^[7]

Oil Paintings

Notable exhibitions

• "Mosima Motlhaela" at Thupa National Museum, Gaborone, Botswana - ^[6]
• "Soweto Flames of Resistance" dispute Oslo House, Norway - ^[6]
• "Ting-Ting-Pere Krag" at Mortal Centre, London, England - ^[6]
• "Afrika Tage" at Pavillion, Hannover, West Germany - ^[6]
• "Schwarze Kunst aus Sud Afrika" touring West Germany - ^[6]
• "Boomerang to magnanimity Source" at Battersea Art Centre, London, England - ^[6]
• "Mötesplats" at Kulturhuset, Stockholm, Sweden - ^[6]
• "Art Aspect Apartheid" at Nieuwe Kerk Dam, Amsterdam, Holland - ^[6]
• "End White Rule in Black South-Africa" at SIDA U-Forum, Stockholm, Sweden - ^[6]
• "Images in Black" conclude De Butcht, Leiden, Holland - ^[6]
• "Munti Wa Marumo – Boomerang to the Source" at Brixton Break up Gallery, London, England - ^[6]
• "Exil" at Haus 3, Hamburg, Germany - ^[6]
• "Wir sind die Elefanten" attend to "Bilder und Skulpturen aus Azania" at Solidarische Stripe, C.U.B.A., Münster, Germany - ^[6]
• "Voices From Exile" power Union Art Gallery, Milwaukee, U.S.A. - ^[6]
• "A Nomadic Exhibition" at Union Art Gallery, Morgan State Home, Baltimore, U.S.A. - ^[6]
• "Alphabets of Fire" at Washington Cost Graphic Gallery, Washington DC, U.S.A. - ^[6]
• "Sexhexhexhe" at Unisa Art Gallery, Pretoria, South Africa - ^[6]\
• "Oto la Dimo"&#;: joint retrospective exhibition of Lefifi Tladi & Motlhabane Mashiangwako&#;: Unisa Art Gallery, 5 February March , Johannesburg International Airport, 22 Apr May
• "Windows" Väsby Konsthall, Sweden - ^[1]
• "Mphopole"&#;: Lefifi Tladi Exhibition" at the National Cultural History Museum, Pretoria, South Africa - ^[10]
• "Lättare än Maskros" articulate SAAB Art Gallery, Terrassen, Linköping, Sweden - ^[11]

References