Lucas Mlambo (born 28 December 1959 in
Sidvwashini,
Mbabane
Mbabane () is the most populous city in Eswatini (previously called Swaziland), and is one of the two Capital (political), capitals (along with Lobamba), serving as the Executive (government), executive capital.
It has an estimated population of ...
) is a
Swazi Swazi may refer to:
* Swazi people, a people of southeastern Africa
* Swazi language
* Eswatini
Eswatini, formally the Kingdom of Eswatini, also known by its former official names Swaziland and the Kingdom of Swaziland, is a landlocked count ...
painter.
Biography
The only boy of eight children, his father died when he was very young and was raised by his mother whilst attending
Lozita Secondary School.
In 1984, the Mlambo family were forced to relocate by the government to make way for roads and he began drawing to remember his childhood home. He got a job in
Beral and developed his skills in painting at the weekends and selling them to his colleagues.
In 1985, a man named Dori whom he met at the
Indingilizi Gallery recognized his talent and encouraged him to exhibit. The following year he did so at the gallery, with
Lisa Forslund from Sweden.
In 1991, Mlambo painted five murals at Indingilizi to depict the Reed Dance Ceremony.
He has since showcased his works in
Total Gallery
Total may refer to:
Mathematics
* Total, the summation of a set of numbers
* Total order, a partial order without incomparable pairs
* Total relation, which may also mean
** connected relation (a binary relation in which any two elements are comp ...
in
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...
and
University of Zululand
The University of Zululand or UNIZULU is a comprehensive tertiary educational institution north of the uThukela River in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The university has established partnerships with schools in the United States and Europe suc ...
in
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...
, South Africa,
Grahamstown Arts Festival, at the
Swaziland Arts Society, and in Denmark and the United States.
His paintings are noted for their bright colours, often in lively scenes, and generally capture everyday life and landmarks in the country. Mlambo has said “Many people like my paintings. I like to use bright colours. In my work, you can see how people in Swaziland live and what they do. I like Mbabane very much because when I see the mountains I see something to paint. When I see the streets, people and buildings, I see something to paint. Even in the location where I stay, I find many stories to paint to show how the people live and what they do.”
Notable works include ''After the Storm'', ''Washing Day - Manzini'', ''Nhlangano Town Mshengu St'' and ''Nhlangano - Old Bus Rank''. Mlambo is married with a son and a daughter.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mlambo, Lucas
Swazi painters
People from Mbabane
1959 births
Living people
20th-century painters
21st-century painters