Dr Esther Mahlangu was born in Middelburg, Mpumalanga, in 1935. At the age of ten, she began learning the ancient art of Ndebele mural painting from her mother and grandmother. While deeply rooted in her community, she has emerged as a revolutionary force in global visual culture - the first artist to reimagine Ndebele tradition in contemporary formats including canvases, murals, ceramics, sneakers, vehicles, installations, and design collaborations.

Her international breakthrough came in 1989, when she was invited to participate in Les Magiciens de la Terre at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. There, she recreated her family home as a painted installation, captivating audiences and placing Ndebele abstraction on the world stage.

In 1991, Dr Mahlangu became the first African and first woman to create a BMW Art Car, transforming a 525i into a vehicle of cultural expression. Decades later, she returned to BMW with commissions such as the Nostokana i5 Flow (2024), unveiled at Frieze Los Angeles, a futuristic innovation in colour-shifting automotive design. She has also collaborated with Rolls Royce, Belvedere (RED) with John Legend, and countless cultural institutions, demonstrating her ability to merge heritage with advanced technology and luxury design.

Her work has been featured in major exhibitions worldwide, including Then I Knew I Was Good at Painting (2024), a landmark retrospective at the Iziko South African National Gallery, and Giants at the Brooklyn Museum, showcasing her alongside the most important Pan-African artists. In October 2024, her largest public artwork to date, Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu, was unveiled at Serpentine North, London - a monumental mural celebrating humanity and unity.

Dr Mahlangu's achievements have been recognised with the Order of Ikhamanga (Silver) from the South African government (2006), France's Officer of Arts and Letters (2019), and four honorary doctorates (University of Johannesburg, DUT, TUT, UNISA), cementing her status as one of the most influential artists of our era.

Her legacy lives not only in museums, collections, and monumental projects across continents, but in her role as a cultural torchbearer who has redefined tradition for future generations.