Who is Stephen Maqashela?

Stephen Maqashela at work on the Lilian Ngoyi memorial, which he assembled in the backyard of his house in Alexandra, Johannesburg.
Stephen Maqashela at work on the Lilian Ngoyi memorial, which he assembled in the backyard of his house in Alexandra, Johannesburg.
Picture © Sunday Times

Stephen Maqashela hails from Alexandra, in Johannesburg, and is what he calls "a general artist".

He trained in painting and ceramics at the original Alexandra Community Arts Centre, where he graduated in 1992. He is well known for his mosaics, especially recent works at Metro Mall in Newtown, Johannesburg. He has produced many collaborative large-scale murals and is highly regarded for his heroic portraits of people from Southern Africa.

Maqashela is based at the celebrated Bag Factory artists' studios in Newtown, where he has been a resident artist since 1994. During a stay in the Thami Mnyele Foundation Studio in 1996, he participated in the Holland South Africa Line, an exchange between seven young artists from the Netherlands and South Africa.

In 2002, the world-renowned Senegalese singer, Baaba Maal, awarded him with a Greenpeace Certificate.

His works are housed in several public collections, including the South African National Gallery in Cape Town, the Johannesburg Art Gallery and the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC.

 

back to the Lilian Ngoyi memorial page

"I am hoping with confidence that, before I die, I will see change in this country."
Lilian Ngoyi
Lilian Ngoyi at her sewing machine.
Picture: © Bailey’s History Archive

IN THE CLASSROOM

Personal letters as historical sources

Working with personal letters is an excellent way of encouraging learners to want to know about people and events in history. They can potentially create an emotional empathy with people who lived in the past.

Lesson plan
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Archive Photo Gallery
Images from the public and private lives of Lilian Ngoyi.
Artwork Photo Gallery
Friends and relatives of Lilian Ngoyi gather for the unveiling of Stephen Maqashela’s artwork.
Audio Archive
A gripping documentary on Lilian Ngoyi’s life and times.
Panorama
Take a 360° tour of the artwork at Ngoyi's home on Nkungu Street, Soweto.
Audio Slideshow