Dumile Feni
| Dumile Feni | |
|---|---|
| Born | Zwelidumile Geelboi Mgxaji Mslaba Feni May 21, 1942 Withuis, Worcester, Cape Province, South Africa |
| Died | 1991 New York City, New York U.S. |
| Cause of death | Heart attack |
| Burial place | Lenasia, South Africa |
| Nationality | South African |
| Occupation | Artist |
| Children | 1 |
Zwelidumile Geelboi Mgxaji Mslaba “Dumile” Feni (May 21, 1942 – 1991) was a South African contemporary visual artist known for both his drawings and paintings that included sculptural elements as well as scultpures, which often depicted the struggle against Apartheid in South Africa.[1] Feni lived in exile and extreme poverty for most of his art career.
Contents
Early life
Feni was born in the small farmstead of Withuis in Worcester, Cape Province, South Africa, to parents Geelbooi Magoqwana, a trader and evangelist, and Bettie Nothemba Mgxaji, a business woman. When he was young, Feni's family relocated to the Welcome Estate in Cape Town. His family were Xhosa people.[2]
Career
Feni's work often tied to the period of Apartheid in South Africa.[3] Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Documentary
In 2010, a documentary called Zwelidumile was released. It was created by filmmaker Ramadan Suleman.[4]
Personal life
Feni's first name, Zwelidumile, means "a person known all over the country."[5]
Feni has a daughter named Marriam Diale.[6]
Exhibitions
Solo exhibitions
- 1965: Transvaal Academy, Johannesburg, South Africa
- 1966: Durban Art Gallery, Durban, South Africa
- 1966: Gallery 101, Johannesburg, South Africa
- 1966: Johannesburg Civic Theatre, Johannesburg, South Africa
- 1966: Pretoria Art Museum, Pretoria, South Africa
- 1966: Republic Festival Exhibition, Pretoria, South Africa
- 1966: SA Breweries Art Prize Exhibition, toured South Africa
- 1966: 'Trans-Natal', Natal Society for Arts, Durban, South Africa
- 1967: Gallery 101, Johannesburg, South Africa
- 1967: Transvaal Academy, Johannesburg, South Africa
- 1968: Sketches from a Private Collection, Goodman Gallery
- 1969: Grosvenor Gallery, London, United Kingdom
- 1970: Exhibition from the Collection of Desmond Fisher, Goodman Gallery
- 1970: The 51 Club Winter Art Exhibition, Goodman Gallery
- 1975: 'South African Sculpture', Goodman Gallery
- 1981: 'Black Art Today', Jabulani Standard Bank, Soweto
- 1988: La Galleria, New York, NY
- 1989: Portrait of Nelson Mandela for the Pathfinder Mural, New York, NY
- 1990: Township Art from South Africa, Applecrest, New York, NY
- 1991: Standard Bank National Arts Festival, Grahamstown, South Africa
- 2010: 'Art on Paper', MOMO Art Gallery, South Africa
Group exhibitions
- 1966: 'Artists of Fame and Promise', Adler Fielding Galleries, Johannesburg, South Africa
- 1967: São Paulo Art Biennial, Brazil
- 1967: 'Sculpture South Africa, 1900: 1967', Adler Fielding Galleries, Johannesburg, South Africa
- 1969: 'Contemporary African Art', Camden Arts Centre, London, United Kingdom
- 1971: Gallery 101, Johannesburg, South Africa
- 1972: Gallery 101, Johannesburg, South Africa
- 1975: 'African Art from South Africa', Gallery 21, London, United Kindom
- 1977: 'Contemporary African Art in South Africa', Rand Afrikaans University, Pretoria Art Museum, University of Orange Free State, William Hamphrey Art Gallery (University of Fort Hare)
- 1977: SANG (Cape Town Festival), Gallery 21, South Africa
- 1982: 'Art towards Social Development: an Exhibition of South African Art', National Museum and Art Gallery, Gaborone, Botswana
- 1983: United Nations Exhibition, Commemoration of Namibia Freedom Day, New York, NY
- 1987: 'Unlock Apartheid's Jails, conference on children under apartheid', with Bill Cosby and the American Committee of Africa, Hyatt Hotel, New York, NY
- 1988: 'Uhuru: an Exhibition of African American Art against Apartheid', City without Wall Gallery, Newark, NJ
- 1988: Voices from Exile (Seven South African Artists), Washington, DC; Los Angeles, CA; Houston, TX; Philadelphia, PA
- 2010: MOMO Art Gallery, South Africa
Awards
- 2003: Order of Ikhamanga in Gold, for excellence in the arts[7]
Selected works and publications
- Feni, Dumile, and Bruce Smith. Dumile: Artist in Exile. South Africa: Bruce Smith in association with Art on Paper, 2004. ISBN 978-0-620-32860-9 OCLC 57398581
References
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