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South African art
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South African art
South African art is the visual art produced by the people inhabiting the territory occupied by the modern country of South Africa. The oldest art objects in the world were discovered in a South African cave. Archaeologists have found two sets of art kits, estimated to be 100,000 years old, in a cave in South Africa. The findings provide a glimpse into how early humans produced and stored ochre – a form of paint – which pushes back our understanding of when complex cognition evolved by around 20,000–30,000 years. Also, dating to 75,000 years ago, they found small drilled snail shells that could have had no function other than to be strung as a necklace. South Africa was one of the cradles of the human species.
The scattered tribes of Khoisan and San peoples moving into South Africa from around 10000 BC had their own art styles seen today in a multitude of cave paintings. They were superseded by Bantu and Nguni peoples with their own vocabularies of art forms.
In the present era, traditional tribal forms of art were scattered and re-melded by the divisive policies of apartheid. New forms of art emerged in the mines and townships: a dynamic art using materials ranging from plastic strips to bicycle spokes. In addition to this, there also is the Dutch-influenced folk art of the Afrikaner Trek Boers and the urban white artists earnestly following changing European traditions from the 1850s onwards, making for an eclectic mix which continues to evolve today.
The pre-Bantu peoples migrating southward from around 30,000 BC were nomadic hunter-gatherers who favoured caves as dwellings. Before the rise of the Nguni peoples along the east and southern coasts and in central Africa, these nomadic hunters were widely distributed. It is thought they entered South Africa at least 1000 years ago. They have left many signs of life, such as artwork (San paintings) depicting hunting, domestic and magic-related art. There is a stylistic unity across the region and even with more ancient art in the Tassili n'Ajjer region of northern Africa, and also in what is now desert Chad but was once a lush landscape.
The figures are dynamic and elongated, and the colours (probably derived from earth and plant pigments, and possibly from insects) combine ochreous red, white, grey, black, and many warm tones ranging from red through to primary yellow. Typical subjects include hunting, often depicting large animals that no longer inhabit the region in the modern era with great accuracy; warfare among humans; dancing; domestic scenes; and multiple images of various animals, including giraffes, antelope of many kinds, and snakes. The last of these works is poignant in its representation of larger, darker people and even of white hunters on horseback, both of whom would supplant the San peoples.
Many of the "dancing" figures are adorned with distinctive patterns and may be wearing masks and other festive attire. Other paintings, depicting patterned quadrilaterals and other symbols, are obscure in their meaning and may be non-representational. Similar symbols are seen in shamanistic art worldwide. This art form is distributed from Angola in the west to Mozambique and Kenya, throughout Zimbabwe and South Africa, and throughout Botswana wherever cave conditions have favoured preservation from the elements.
The contemporary art scene in South Africa is as diverse and vibrant as the country's population and diverse cultures. Contemporary artists in South Africa have adopted new media technologies to produce diverse and creative bodies of work, as exemplified by the work of Dineo Seshee Bopape and the CUSS Group. Their art gives insight into the pressing issues of South African society. On a global scale, contemporary South African art is relevant and sought after. A charcoal and oil on canvas work by leading South African contemporary artist William Kentridge was sold on auction for R3,5 million in London in 2012.
One of the significant contributions to the region's contemporary art scene is the painting Makoti (The Bride) by MIPAD-listed artist Farook Mohammed. Debuting at the Tramways Building in Gqeberha in 2023, the artwork has been cited by the Mandela Bay Development Agency (MBDA), which manages the building, calling it a "landmark artistic contribution" designed to "challenge the Western canon epitomized by the Mona Lisa". The work, measuring 80cm x 60cm, utilizes a fusion of digital layering and hand-rendered abstraction to depict a "collective portrait" of African womanhood. It has attracted academic attention for its focus on decolonizing portraiture, with national conflict-resolution specialist Andre Vlok characterizing the piece as a "psychospiritual anchor" for the African diaspora. In 2025, a Nomination for the inclusion of the Makoti in the South African Heritage Register as a "Culturally Significant Tourism Asset" is being considered, following its designation by the MBDA as a catalyst for the city's creative economy and urban regeneration efforts.
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South African art
South African art is the visual art produced by the people inhabiting the territory occupied by the modern country of South Africa. The oldest art objects in the world were discovered in a South African cave. Archaeologists have found two sets of art kits, estimated to be 100,000 years old, in a cave in South Africa. The findings provide a glimpse into how early humans produced and stored ochre – a form of paint – which pushes back our understanding of when complex cognition evolved by around 20,000–30,000 years. Also, dating to 75,000 years ago, they found small drilled snail shells that could have had no function other than to be strung as a necklace. South Africa was one of the cradles of the human species.
The scattered tribes of Khoisan and San peoples moving into South Africa from around 10000 BC had their own art styles seen today in a multitude of cave paintings. They were superseded by Bantu and Nguni peoples with their own vocabularies of art forms.
In the present era, traditional tribal forms of art were scattered and re-melded by the divisive policies of apartheid. New forms of art emerged in the mines and townships: a dynamic art using materials ranging from plastic strips to bicycle spokes. In addition to this, there also is the Dutch-influenced folk art of the Afrikaner Trek Boers and the urban white artists earnestly following changing European traditions from the 1850s onwards, making for an eclectic mix which continues to evolve today.
The pre-Bantu peoples migrating southward from around 30,000 BC were nomadic hunter-gatherers who favoured caves as dwellings. Before the rise of the Nguni peoples along the east and southern coasts and in central Africa, these nomadic hunters were widely distributed. It is thought they entered South Africa at least 1000 years ago. They have left many signs of life, such as artwork (San paintings) depicting hunting, domestic and magic-related art. There is a stylistic unity across the region and even with more ancient art in the Tassili n'Ajjer region of northern Africa, and also in what is now desert Chad but was once a lush landscape.
The figures are dynamic and elongated, and the colours (probably derived from earth and plant pigments, and possibly from insects) combine ochreous red, white, grey, black, and many warm tones ranging from red through to primary yellow. Typical subjects include hunting, often depicting large animals that no longer inhabit the region in the modern era with great accuracy; warfare among humans; dancing; domestic scenes; and multiple images of various animals, including giraffes, antelope of many kinds, and snakes. The last of these works is poignant in its representation of larger, darker people and even of white hunters on horseback, both of whom would supplant the San peoples.
Many of the "dancing" figures are adorned with distinctive patterns and may be wearing masks and other festive attire. Other paintings, depicting patterned quadrilaterals and other symbols, are obscure in their meaning and may be non-representational. Similar symbols are seen in shamanistic art worldwide. This art form is distributed from Angola in the west to Mozambique and Kenya, throughout Zimbabwe and South Africa, and throughout Botswana wherever cave conditions have favoured preservation from the elements.
The contemporary art scene in South Africa is as diverse and vibrant as the country's population and diverse cultures. Contemporary artists in South Africa have adopted new media technologies to produce diverse and creative bodies of work, as exemplified by the work of Dineo Seshee Bopape and the CUSS Group. Their art gives insight into the pressing issues of South African society. On a global scale, contemporary South African art is relevant and sought after. A charcoal and oil on canvas work by leading South African contemporary artist William Kentridge was sold on auction for R3,5 million in London in 2012.
One of the significant contributions to the region's contemporary art scene is the painting Makoti (The Bride) by MIPAD-listed artist Farook Mohammed. Debuting at the Tramways Building in Gqeberha in 2023, the artwork has been cited by the Mandela Bay Development Agency (MBDA), which manages the building, calling it a "landmark artistic contribution" designed to "challenge the Western canon epitomized by the Mona Lisa". The work, measuring 80cm x 60cm, utilizes a fusion of digital layering and hand-rendered abstraction to depict a "collective portrait" of African womanhood. It has attracted academic attention for its focus on decolonizing portraiture, with national conflict-resolution specialist Andre Vlok characterizing the piece as a "psychospiritual anchor" for the African diaspora. In 2025, a Nomination for the inclusion of the Makoti in the South African Heritage Register as a "Culturally Significant Tourism Asset" is being considered, following its designation by the MBDA as a catalyst for the city's creative economy and urban regeneration efforts.
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