Cotton Eater

“I reduce any background information to shallow planes of colour and tone, which serve to emphasise the human subjects that are the focus of my painting.”

Meshack “Shakes” Tembani (born 1975) grew up in the New Crossroads township of Cape Town, where he still lives and works. He graduated from the University of Cape Town in 2003. As a full-time artist, Tembani has received numerous commissions for mosaic in public spaces, such as the Clock Tower building at the V&A Waterfront.

From a young age, Tembani loved art and started exploring different avenues of expression, a practice he maintains, in a variety of mediums, primarily painting.  With a distinctive, stylised technique, he invites viewers to contemplate the beautiful in the seemingly ordinary, by using bold and flat colours. Inspired by the everyday experiences he faced alongside his community, Tembani’s depictions often concentrate on strong female figures in his neighbourhood, the women who are breadwinners, church goers, single parents, and entrepreneurs. 

“I use a deliberately stylised and naïve technique of bold, flat colours, graphic edges and minimalistic tone to portray human figures. I have turned my attention to people who wore bold and bright colours, with stripes, patterned clothes inspired by ethnic designs.”