Part of Shepherd’s artistic skill
was acquired during his studies at Sivuyele College in Guguletu (1994/1995)
and earlier with the Visual Arts Group in Nyanga (1987), but his diligent
practice and undoubted talent can be said to be the main force behind
his imaginative art work. Shepard has been painting and sculpting since
1985.
He has participated in several group exhibitions at the South African
National Gallery, at the SA Association of Arts in Cape Town and in several
of the community centres in Guguletu and Nyanga. Recently he took part
in the very successful workshop and exhibition which AVA organised and
hosted, Sculptures in Wood.
Shepherd participated in the group show “Encompass” at the
Cape Gallery in 2005
Shepard lives and works in Nyanga, Cape Town.
TRANSCRIBED FROM A NOTE SHEPHERD WROTE AND
TORE OUT OF HIS DIARY.
People asked Shepherd what he had painted as they watched him frame the
completed work so he wrote out the following explanation:
“People work in the graveyard and the candle (falls
down) and burns the Bible. People loose hope about the world of God. People
killed each other.
The star is red. That means people continued to be killed.
The Stepladder - it’s the way to go to the peace.
Only the Hero can go there.
The two horns - it’s the voice of the President.
When it (each horn) speaks to the countries they must help. In Global.
The Snake: it's around the (whole) of South Africa.
(Its Head rests) On top of the Constitution of the Nation. He Boy (lures?)
the people kills one another.
October 1999. The eye on (is on) the flag. People watch.”
Shepherd explained further that the bird is the messenger - it would
seem that the ladder leads to a kind of nest or hole in the sky.
EXHIBITIONS
2012
Siyakubona, group exhibition at The Cape Gallery
Turn Around Time, annual Winter Solstice exhibition at The Cape Gallery
2011
Continuum, Annual Winter Solstice exhibition at The Cape Gallery
|
 |
Artist: SHEPHERD MBANYA
Title: Care for the animal
Size: 36 x 44 x 4 cm
Media: wood
Price: R 4 000
Conversation with Shephard about the above Winged figure Sculpture:
"The bird on top is a vulture. This represents
the people that only think about money. The wings are of the angel."
I asked him if it was a good or bad angel and he was definite that it
was a good angel. From our conversation it come across that Shepard has
an ambivalent view of the church. On the one hand he knows faith make
people strong but, on the other hand, he feels there are some people that
are using the bible only as a tool to make money and are forgetting the
message of love. They bow down to the person that pays them rather then
the greatest good of all.
|
