Sfiso Ka-Mkame South African , b. 1963

Overview

Sfiso Ka-Mkame specialises in artworks created by layering oil pastels in different colours and then scraping into them to reveal the underlying colours. His time consuming artworks have a stylised, almost textile like quality about them. 

 

Sfiso's subject matter ranges from highly political narratives to African symbology, and the honouring of African mothers and fathers represented as kings and queens. 

Works
  • Sfiso Ka-Mkame, Danci da danci, 2020
    Danci da danci, 2020R 280,000.00
  • Sfiso Ka-Mkame, Letters to Home, 2012
    Letters to Home, 2012R 198,500.01
  • Sfiso Ka-Mkame, Love, 2019
    Love, 2019R 82,455.00
  • Sfiso Ka-Mkame, Dear people just what is it that we know of Love, 2020
    Dear people just what is it that we know of Love, 2020R 71,700.00
  • Sfiso Ka-Mkame, Requizm for our mothers and daughters who died by mens hands, 2020
    Requizm for our mothers and daughters who died by mens hands, 2020R 71,700.00
  • Sfiso Ka-Mkame, Ukuthandwa, 2020
    Ukuthandwa, 2020R 71,700.00
  • Sfiso Ka-Mkame, Women to Women, 2020
    Women to Women, 2020R 71,700.00
  • Sfiso Ka-Mkame, The reoccuring drum (in my dreams you always come back), 2020
    The reoccuring drum (in my dreams you always come back), 2020R 71,700.00
  • Sfiso Ka-Mkame, HIV/AIDS, 2020
    HIV/AIDS, 2020R 49,000.01
  • Sfiso Ka-Mkame
    R 55,000.00
  • Sfiso Ka-Mkame
    R 55,000.00
  • Sfiso Ka-Mkame, Let us protect one another from one another AIDS is a killer, 2020
    Let us protect one another from one another AIDS is a killer, 2020R 49,000.01
  • Sfiso Ka-Mkame, Talk to other people living with HIV and AIDS, 2020
    Talk to other people living with HIV and AIDS, 2020R 49,000.01
  • Sfiso Ka-Mkame, Ancestal Spirit v, 2019
    Ancestal Spirit v, 2019
  • Sfiso Ka-Mkame, Ancestal Spirit IV, 2019
    Ancestal Spirit IV, 2019
  • Sfiso Ka-Mkame, Ancestal Spirit III, 2019
    Ancestal Spirit III, 2019
  • Sfiso Ka-Mkame, Ancestal Spirit II, 2019
    Ancestal Spirit II, 2019
  • Sfiso Ka-Mkame, Ancestal Spirit I, 2019
    Ancestal Spirit I, 2019
Biography

Sfiso Ka-Mkame was born in Clermont, Durban in 1963. He studied art in the 80’s and gained fame in 1988 when he sold his ‘Letters to God’ series of drawings to the South African National Gallery in Cape Town. In 1996 he held his first solo exhibition at the BAT Centre in Durban and has exhibited extensively since then.

 

Sfiso was active in the United Democratic Front (UDF) and his early work reflected the political conflict, daily struggles and hardships he witnessed around him.

 

His work has a decorative, stylized approach that resembles African textile, demonstrating nostalgia for African symbols; a quest that became more urgent and challenging for him after South Africa’s first democratic elections in 1994. This led to his search for symbols of an African identity beyond the confines of his own region and this is reflected in his paintings.

 

He builds up dense layers of colour with oil pastels and then scratches patterns into the pastel to create images, symbols and designs which are often mistaken for textile.

 

He usually titles his works and this provides the viewer with the beginning of the story or narrative that has inspired the work.

 

It is the African women resplendent in magnificently coloured and patterned gowns and the representation of the kings and queens of Africa in equal importance that currently dominates his artwork, reminding one of the work of artist Gustav Klimt.

 

Sfiso has participated in numerous exhibitions in Africa and internationally. His works grace many important public, private and corporate collections including most of South Africa’s art museums and national galleries.

Exhibitions
News