Kimathi Mafafo Bio
Born 1984, Kimberly, Northern Cape, South Africa
Lives and works in Cape Town, South Africa
Kimathi Mafafo is a multidisciplinary artist whose practise ranges from embroidery and oil painting to installation. Born in the Northern Cape, Mafafo’s verdant imaginings, characterized by lush greenery and sensuous drapery. Introduced to art at an early age by her father G. Rocky Mafafo, she took art classes at the local William Humphreys Museum in Kimberly and affectionately recalls wandering around the collections of 16th and 17th-century Dutch still-life paintings, entranced by the vitality of their colours and their exquisite level of detail. Inspired by the technicality of these works, Mafafo became a technically exacting artist herself. Although she began her career, as a self-taught artist, Kimathi has completed a National Diploma in Fine Arts at the College of Cape Town in 2007 and subsequently a National Diploma in Film and Video at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. Mafafo’s imagery is partly guided by her desire to celebrate the black female form, inspiring women to embrace their own worth and beauty. Her earliest works are partly autobiographical and tell the story of a woman withdrawing from the urban lifestyle and finding strength in nature and within herself. While her compositions may burst with riotous plant life each leaf and frond remain meticulously executed. Recent exhibitions include, 2019 Investec Cape Town Art Fair, Ebony Curated, 2018 Solo presentation, Investec Cape Town Art Fair, Ebony Curated; 2018 AKAA art fair Paris, Ebony Curated.
Lives and works in Cape Town, South Africa
Kimathi Mafafo is a multidisciplinary artist whose practise ranges from embroidery and oil painting to installation. Born in the Northern Cape, Mafafo’s verdant imaginings, characterized by lush greenery and sensuous drapery. Introduced to art at an early age by her father G. Rocky Mafafo, she took art classes at the local William Humphreys Museum in Kimberly and affectionately recalls wandering around the collections of 16th and 17th-century Dutch still-life paintings, entranced by the vitality of their colours and their exquisite level of detail. Inspired by the technicality of these works, Mafafo became a technically exacting artist herself. Although she began her career, as a self-taught artist, Kimathi has completed a National Diploma in Fine Arts at the College of Cape Town in 2007 and subsequently a National Diploma in Film and Video at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. Mafafo’s imagery is partly guided by her desire to celebrate the black female form, inspiring women to embrace their own worth and beauty. Her earliest works are partly autobiographical and tell the story of a woman withdrawing from the urban lifestyle and finding strength in nature and within herself. While her compositions may burst with riotous plant life each leaf and frond remain meticulously executed. Recent exhibitions include, 2019 Investec Cape Town Art Fair, Ebony Curated, 2018 Solo presentation, Investec Cape Town Art Fair, Ebony Curated; 2018 AKAA art fair Paris, Ebony Curated.
Kimathi Mafafo - Voiceless I, 2019, Oil On Canvas, 120cm x 150cm
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Kimathi Mafafo - Alone In Spring II, 2019, Oil On Canvas, 100cm x 80cm
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Kimathi Mafafo - Voiceless II, 2019, Oil On Canvas, 120cm x 150cm
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