Nicholas Hlobo

New York

Lehmann Maupin presents an exhibition featuring South African artist Nicholas Hlobo. Through Xhosa -his birth language- and evocative symbolism like the phallus, Hlobo evokes his South African roots through narratives pieces.

For this new exhibition, Hlobo performs with a mix of materials and installations. He uses combinations of leather, ribbons and cotton as a reference to traditional African craftsmanship in canvas-like pieces to which he refers to as ‘paintings’. All of the works bear titles in his native Xhosa language. Beauty, pain, pleasure and the cycles of life are all explored through his work and often embodied through the phallus symbol. The work Umkhokeli, which could be translated as ‘leader’ or ‘master’, refers to the constant symbolism that is present through all of Hlobo’s work. Through tentacle-like ribbon embroidery, leather is being shaped in the form of a phallus. Although containing an overall topic, each piece responds to the artist’s artistic instinct, free from any preconception.

NICHOLAS HLOBO, Ikroti (detail), 2016, wood, leather, and ribbon, 29.53 inches, 75 cm

NICHOLAS HLOBO, igqabhuk ‚imiphunga (detail), 2016, ribbons and leather on Belgian linen canvas, 47.2 x 35.4 x 1.9 inches 120 x 90 x 5 cm

Lehmann Maupin

February 24 – April 17, 2016

201 Chrystie Street
New York, NY 10002
USA

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