The Meshu Art Gallery

02/04/2026

27/01/2026

Our Artist of the week is David Madlabane

David Madlabane is a Johannesburg-based artist whose work is inspired by architecture, and deconstructing and reconstructing the past and present, to create his own identity and understand it better. Taking a jab at the history of work and workers in Joburg, David Madlabane uses the city’s landscapes via portraiture to tell the story of Joburg’s architecture – shining light on the people who actually built the city.

He uses the city’s landscapes to tell a compelling story of its architecture and the people who played a vital role in building it. David’s art reflects a message of hope and transformation. By repeatedly exploring this theme in his diverse artworks, he wants us to confront our own encounters with loss and find comfort in the shared emotions that connect us all.

His portrait ‘Zimisele’ in the ‘Where Bodies Sleep, Where Bodies Wake’ exhibition represents the ways in which others view us, with less focus on the internal and more on the external.

20/01/2026

Our Artist of the week is Samukelo Gqola

Samukelo Gqola, born in Soweto, Johannesburg, joined Artist Proof Studio in 2018, where he has had numerous opportunities to work on corporate commissions as part of the Special Projects unit. Currently, Gqola is working in the Education and Pro-Studio Unit at APS. His artwork revolves around his personal experiences growing up in the Eastern Cape, centering around migration and the cultural heritage passed down to him by his grandmother. He incorporates different objects that hold significance in his life, each carrying its own meaning and purpose. His artistic repertoire includes the Basotho blanket, windmills, human figures, landscapes, animals, and traditional cultural attire. The Basotho blanket symbolizes his grandmother’s culture and her protective role in his life, as well as representing his homeland in the Eastern Cape, Mount Fletcher.

His current body of work focuses on his journey leaving home, becoming independent, and supporting his family. These pieces are a continuous exploration of a previous artwork he created titled “Ukoyisa Uvalo,” which translates to “overpowering your fears.” Through his art, he aims to share his personal journey of overcoming fear and freeing oneself from self-imposed limitations. It serves as a reminder that we can transcend our fears and achieve our goals, regardless of the obstacles that may stand in our way.

You can view his work at The Meshu Art Gallery.

13/01/2026

Our Artist of the week is Themba Khumalo

Khumalo documents his interaction with the city as both an outsider and a city dweller. This dual tension is evident in his work; as he takes note of people who have come to the city in seek of the unknown. This is reflective in his work through his intense dark mark-marking and subtle texture of clouds, which evoke specific moods and emotions. Khumalo’s work explores the dangers of Johannesburg while reflecting its beauty through its architecture and cityscape. Khumalo identifies in his work the importance of family and how they play an important role in one’s life. Although he hardly depicts human figures in his work, he uses pylons, cranes, and electric wires to represent movement, energy, and unity: portraying how electricity connects us all. Thus informing his audience of his relation with people, exploring feelings of connectivity and isolation within the city.

View his works at The Meshu Art Gallery.

30/12/2025

Our Artist of the week is Dudu Bloom More

Duduzile (DuduBloom) More (b. 1990) is a visual artist from Soweto, Johannesburg. In 2018 she graduated from Artist Proof Studio (APS) and completed her 4th year in Professional Practice in 2019. She has been participating in various art competitions and her work has shown at various group exhibitions and art fairs including the FNB Joburg Art Fair. In 2018 she was selected as one of two APS women artists to do an art residency in Italy through the Artist Proof Studio and the Italian Embassy. DuduBloom recently participated in the RMB Talent Unlocked Program and recently participated in the one month Co-Create Residency with Cheriese Dilrajh, hosted by The Project Space. She is the the winner of the 2019 Cassirer Welz Award, a 10 week residency hosted by the Bag Factory Artist Studios and Strauss & Co. The body of work created during the residency culminated in a solo exhibition during the month of February, 2020.

Visit The Meshu Art Gallery to view her work.

23/12/2025

Highlights from the MAG Wine & Talk this past Friday. We had a great dialogue that offered an expansive view on making art sustainable.

Thank you to our wonderful speakers , and , as well as for providing their space to us.

We are looking forward to the next talk!

17/12/2025

Meet our speaker for the MAG Wine & Talk

Patrick Rorke is an artist and painter based in Morija, Lesotho working in a largely figurative way. He has been active as an artist for over forty years and is considered a master of contemporary art in Lesotho. In Morija he runs a contemporary art gallery and frequently organizes exhibitions, events and festivals. His work is about his surroundings and the compelling but fragile existence of the people within this landscape.

He works predominantly in oils but also sculpts in whatever medium comes to hand. His work is largely figurative simply because there is such a wealth of material to draw from all-around one. Rorke states that he claims no intellectual insights in his work, but rather works as a primitive - instinctively.

Please note that seats are fully booked for the talk.

16/12/2025

Meet our speaker for the MAG Wine & Talk

Puseletso Masemene is a multidisciplinary visual artist from Maseru, Lesotho. She completed the International Baccalaureate
Diploma Programme at Machabeng College in 2019, attained her BA in Fine Arts from the University of the Witwatersrand in 2023, and is currently pursuing her Master of Arts in Fine Arts at the same institution.
Masemene’s artistic practice is based in printmaking and sculpture . Her work often explores layered Basotho narratives through materiality, memory, and
identity.

She has participated in various significant projects and collaborations, including Art for Peace 2023 in partnership with the Japan Institute, and was awarded a Merit Prize in the Wits Young Artist Award 2023. Her work is part of the permanent collection of the Johannesburg Art Gallery and is a member of Olosa Collective and Occupying the Gallery founded Mary Sibande and Lawrence Lemaona.

Please note that we are fully booked for the talk and are no longer taking RSVPs.

15/12/2025

Meet our speaker for the MAG Wine & Talk

Mookho Ntho (b.1995 Maseru, Lesotho) lives and works in Maseru. Ntho is an African contemporary artist who works primarily using oil paint on canvas. Ntho is also co-founder and creative director of Barali – a sustainable homeware brand.

Her studio practice is rooted in an exploration of life as a black African woman - draws from experiences referenced from memories, emotions, feelings. The works follow a modern African contemporary art style with influences of surrealism - combining figurative/portrait painting, fashion, and storytelling, it celebrates the Black body in relation to movement, expression, ideology, and culture. The conceptual aspects of the works seeks to investigate a critical inquiry into selfhood and human flourishing.

📆19th December
⏱️ 6PM - 8PM
💰M50.00
📍The Meshu Art Gallery, Pioneer Mall
RSVP to [email protected] or WhatsApp +26658307538

11/12/2025

The Meshu Art Gallery is hosting the second session of Wine & Talk, on the topic of ‘Turning Art Into A Sustainable Practice’.
Our speakers for the talk are artists Mookho Ntho , and

📆Friday, 19th December
⏱️6PM - 8PM
📍The Meshu Art Gallery, Pioneer Mall
💰M50.00 including wine
RSVP to [email protected] or WhatsApp +266 58307538 as there’s limited seating.

We are looking forward to engaging with you!