Have art, will travel

Travelling artist Reggie Khumalo wrapped up his first exhibition in West Africa to wide acclaim. From the 13th to 20th of April, BrownEyedBoy Art Pursuits in tandem with J.ROOM Curated hosted the adventurer, philanthropist and fine artist at the HourGlass Gallery in Lagos, Nigeria.

Khumalo, who has travelled across 13 African countries on his motorbike since hitting the road in 2017, has had solo exhibitions in Paris, Berlin, Zanzibar, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Addis Ababa. His art focuses social change and he donates proceeds from his work to communities and initiatives across Africa.

“Travelling is something that the artist must do so we can share stories and learn from each other. By doing so we can fight things like xenophobia or simply let our fellow Africans know that we stand with them in whatever they are going through,” says Khumalo

Acrylic portraits, and an increasing amount of mixed media, capture diverse characters, often adorned with local and cultural garments, providing an intimate and striking view of the continent. The Lagos exhibition, titled Mental Revolution, is an introspective of a painful past to and the ushering in of positivity and abundance.

Tshepo Hlongwane, Founder of BrownEyedBoy Art Pursuit, who helped facilitate the collaboration between West Africa SA, said the project “is a true expression of Radical Ubuntuism — a movement to unlock the best of Africa’s creative talent. This marks a reinforcement of West Africa (Nigeria) and Southern Africa (SA) cultural collaborations. A gift for African Art and as BrownEyedBoy Art Pursuits we are proud to be involved in this Pan African journey that Reggie embarked on and its passage through Lagos, Nigeria.”

Always on the move, Khumalo has exhibitions scheduled at Freize Art Fair in London, and in Munich and New York — where he is set to spend a year in residency at Bishop Gallery, his US representation. Earlier this year, Khumalo provided the artwork for the iconic Veldskoen x DHL limited edition range of shoes.