Phillemon Hlungwani

Phillemon was born in Giyani, Limpopo in Thomo Village. He attended Thomo High School where he obtained a first class in Art for Matric. In 2000 he went to the Johannesburg Art Foundation to study Fine Art. In 2000 and 2001 he won the King Korn competition and was one of the finalists for the Absa Gallery competition. He then went to the WITS School of Art to study a teacher’s training course for art and started at the Artist Proof Studios, where he is still based today teaching professional printmaking classes. Phillemon has been involved in numerous workshops, commissions, solo exhibitions and group exhibitions. He has participated in the following group exhibitions: Heritage Day for Arts and Culture exhibition in Belgium, Spark Gallery, Art on Paper, RAU, The Gallery Premises and the JAG. His solo exhibitions were in Soweto sponsored by Kaya FM, Sowetan, Sunday world and Absolut Vodka and at The Gallery Premises. He has been commissioned to do work for Raphael Suites and Michelangelo Towers in Sandton and a tribute mural to Picasso at the Standard Bank Art Gallery. In May 2008 ABSA Gallery in Johannesburg hosted a solo-exhibition by Phillemon Hlungwani titled The Tsonga is the Shadow of Xigaza.

His work is predominantly self-expressive in light of his background and his Christian beliefs. Trees are a place for prayer and worshipping and Phillemon feels a strong spiritual connection towards them. For this reason we see trees continuously represented in his prints. His landscape images refer to self, family and history, functioning as a type of documentation of his background. Phillemon’s preferred printmaking technique is dry point etching. He finds this practice more expressive than other techniques; allowing him to work freely and texturally with line. In addition to being a print maker, Phillemon is a painter, art facilitator, papermaker and designer. In his recent show at ABSA Gallery Phillemon Hlungwani revealed his passionate ability in working with charcoal on paper to explore new ideas around his culture and the journeys of every day life.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

1999 Matriculated at Hanyani Thom High School
2000 Graduated at Johannesburg Art Foundation Fine Art
2000 Obtained an Artist Proof Studio printmaking certificate
2000/2002 (EDL) Educate Develop and learning for life Mentored Supervisor Cource
2003 VACA (craft making)
2003 Obtained a computer literacy certificate at CIDA Computer Collage
2004 Wits School of Art (CDP)

SOLO EXHIBITION

2001 Soweto, Masakeng pub, Mofolo village, Sponsored by KAYA FM, Absolute Vodka, and Sowetan Sunday World.
2006 The Premises Art Gallery
2008 ABSA Gallery

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

1999 Petersburg, Museum
1999 Giyani, Showground
2000 Johannesburg, Urban futures Heritage day Electric workshop
1996 Norwood, Spark Gallery
2002 Melville, Art on paper
2001 North West, Cultural calabash
2000 - 2001 Johannesburg, RAU University - Art Gallery
2002 Art on paper
2003 Newtown, Fundraiser Bus factory
2003 Newtown, Fundraiser Boston
2003 Park town, Boydens Global - Guest Artist
2003 ABSA competition Gallery Dubai (Oman, Qatar, Salalah)
2005 Group exhibition, University of Johannesburg, (Formerly known as the RAU Gallery)
2006 The Premises Art Gallery
2007 Thompson Gallery
2088 The Premises Art Gallery
2008 Artist Proof Studio find raising auction

COMMISSIONS

2005 Michael Angelo Towers, Sandton, Johannesburg
2005 Raphael Hotel, Sandton, Johannesburg
2005 - 2006 MTN
2007 Centurion Hotel, Pretoria
2007 Karoo Hotel, outside Cape Town
2006 - 2007/8 Nandos, Nationally
2007 JDA (Johannesburg Development Agencies)
2007 Various South African Government Offices

WORK EXPERIENCE

Workshops attended

2002 Pineapple Paper (Japanese Techniques)
2000 Paper Prayer at Artist proof studio
2001 Paper Making at Artist Proof studio
2001 Lithography, Van Dyke Brown and Cynotype at Artist Proof studio
2003 Design Indaba at Cape Town
2003 Pinpoint one
2003 World summit on sustainable development
2005 Paper making and printmaking workshop, Paper Prayers workshop, Omani.
Dry point and collagraph workshop, third year learners at Artist Proof Studio.
Uthingo collaboration with Craft Council, packaging.
2007 Co-ordinator and facilitator of professional Art at artist proof studio

TEACHING/FACILITATOR/COORDINATOR EXPERIENCE

Part-time teaching

2001 Johannesburg Artist Proof Studio paper making
2003 Johannesburg Artist proof studio - paper making
Johannesburg, create SA Training & Developing the creative industries for paper making trainer under Wits Technikon
2004 Create South Africa (Create Paper)

Community projects Facilitator

1997 Joko Story telling moral
2000 Tingwazi Art Project
2003 Papermaking workshop, East Bank High School
2007 Mogalakwena Community Centre
2007 Everton House Launching Project-Coordinator of children's bin painting project.
2008 Artist Proof Studio Print exchange portfolio curator and project manager