British Museum: "South Africa: The Art of a Nation", 2016 - 2017

In 2016, Esther Mahlangu was approached to include some of her work in an exhibition at the British Museum titled “South Africa: the Art of a Nation”. This historic exhibition, co curated by John Giblin, Head of the Africa Section at the British Museum, and Chris Spring, Curator of the Museum’s collections from eastern and southern Africa, was created to combine contemporary art, historical works and African artifacts to display 100,000 years of South Africa’s complex history.

The exhibition explored the relationship between South Africa’s past and present displaying a wide variety of works from multiple decades including notable pieces like the Makapansgat Pebble, thought to be the oldest art object ever to have been found.

The exhibition was extremely well received, successfully introducing South Africa’s fascinating history, and the depth and diversity involved, to both a British and international audience.

The Esther Mahlangu BMW Art Car was displayed at the exhibition and also graced the cover of the exhibitions catalogue.