Artist: Dr. Esther Mahlangu

Serpentine unveils a new site-specific mural by artist Esther Mahlangu. On view in the garden at Serpentine North, the monumental painting celebrates concepts of community and unity. Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu, which translates directly from Ndebele as ‘I am because you are’, marks her first public artwork in the UK.

Celebrated for her brightly coloured geometric paintings rooted in matrilineal Ndebele culture, Dr Esther Mahlangu (b. 1935, South Africa) has been creating large-scale and site-specific works for over eight decades. She began painting at the age of ten, learning the Ndebele techniques and visual language of covering houses in bold patterns from her mother and grandmother.

Mahlangu uses natural pigments mixed with clay, soil and cow dung to paint directly on the exteriors of structures in her village. Rather than using stencils and tape to achieve lines and shapes, she paints by hand with chicken feathers and an array of different brushes. The artist also works with acrylic paints on canvas, which allows her to explore different scales and a broader colour palette.

Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu, presented in the garden at Serpentine North, is the artist’s first public mural in the UK. Painted over sixteen wooden panels, the work depicts Ndebele shapes and patterns outlined with a black border.