Mduduzi Xakaza (b. 1965, Maphumulo, KwaZulu-Natal) is a distinguished South African artist and academic, known for his meditative and introspective landscape paintings. He currently serves as the Director of the Durban Art Gallery, a position he has held since 2009. Xakaza earned his Ph.D. from the University of the Western Cape, specializing in Museum and Heritage Studies. His work is deeply rooted in the spirituality of the KwaZulu-Natal landscape, where he believes the spirits of ancestors dwell within nature, watching over all living things. His intricate technique involves glazing thin layers of paint to evoke a sense of the intangible and spiritual.
Xakaza has exhibited widely throughout South Africa since 1993 and gained international recognition when he was selected as a Renault artist in 2005, exhibiting in Paris. His work is held in prestigious collections, including the South African National Gallery, the Durban Art Gallery, the Pretoria Art Museum, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, and the United Nations in Geneva. His unique focus on the KwaZulu-Natal landscape sets him apart as one of the few Black South African artists to depict the land as the central subject, deeply embedded with Zulu history and memory.
Text Source: Intethe
Image Source and Credit: Berea Mail, Director of the Durban Art Gallery, Dr Mduduzi Xakaza. Picture: Peter Upfold
