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Innibos National Art’s Festival – Legislature Exhibition

InnibosNational Art’s Festival – Legislature Exhibition

Art as a Catalyst for Conversation

An exhibition curated by ART AID at the Mpumalanga Legislature, blending historic works from the government’s permanent collection with contemporary South African art to provoke dialogue and reflection.

Public collections are often hidden from view, disconnected from current conversations, and inaccessible to younger or local audiences.

A wooden sculpture of a boxer with arms raised triumphantly. The figure wears white boxing shorts, white shoes, and a large silver belt reading “OLD DOG BELT.” The sculpture is mounted on a rectangular wooden base.

Curated exhibition

Works on display

Artists featured (emerging + established)

Attendees during exhibition week, including government representatives

ART AID curated a bold, multi-generational exhibition showcasing over 60 years of South African art. Hosted in the Legislature Chambers, the exhibition juxtaposed archival works with fresh, provocative pieces from living artists — inviting the public to engage with history through a creative lens.

The exhibition brought government art collections to new public audiences, sparked dialogue between past and present socio-political themes, and gave artists visibility in a high-profile institutional space — turning the Legislature into a platform for culture as well as policy.

Five carved wooden statues of athletes on brown plinths stand against a solid red wall. The figures resemble footballers and a boxer with his arms raised, each with simplified human features and wearing sports kits.

A framed painting on a blue display panel depicts a table with fruit and objects under a dramatic, swirling night sky. The scene is inside a well-lit modern space with stone walls, striped carpet, and a red partition visible in the background.

Indoor art exhibition with several colourful paintings displayed on freestanding panels. The floor has curving, striped patterns. In the background, a large wall mural with abstract blue shapes is visible. Lighting is warm and soft throughout the space.

Two people stand smiling in front of a vibrant mural. The mural depicts a group of workers, arms raised, painted in bold colours. A single figure stands off to the right. The people in front are well-dressed and posed together under bright lighting.

A spacious, circular parliamentary chamber with wooden desks and chairs arranged in rows. The walls feature vibrant murals, African motifs, and geometric patterns. Soft lighting and a high, triangular-patterned dome ceiling create an official, grand atmosphere.

A curved legislative chamber with wood-panelled walls, geometric patterns, and a painted mural. Rows of wooden desks with chairs face forward. The ceiling features dark triangles and bright lights. The atmosphere is formal and grand.

An art gallery with glossy tiled floors displays colourful paintings on wheeled partitions. One painting shows a vibrant floral arrangement in a vase; another depicts antelopes on a savanna. Sunlight streams in from large windows. A crocodile sculpture sits in the background.

A painting shows a stylised, crouched figure with oversized feet and hands, textured with white and black patterns. The figure wears glasses and looks forward. The background is a muted brown, and the artwork hangs on a burnt orange wall.

A painting of a lush, green forested landscape with rounded hills covered in dense trees and large boulders, mounted on a burnt orange wall. The upper right corner of the artwork is not visible.

A colourful painting on a wall shows a person in an orange shirt, blue trousers, and a blue hat riding a pink bicycle on a sandy path, kicking one leg up playfully. The sky is blue with clouds and a fence and low wall appear in the background.

A painting of a figure in an orange jacket, yellow hard hat with headtorch, and blue gloves stands partly in shadow by a building with blue and white walls under a curved metal roof. The figure’s face is obscured by shadow. The background shows a yellow structure.

A grid of colourful pop-art style paintings, each square showing two abstract, human-like figures kneeling side by side. The background and figures vary in bold colours and outlines, arranged against a red wall. The patterns resemble Andy Warhol’s repetitive style.

A colourful, comic-themed giraffe sculpture stands near a red wall at an art gallery. In the background, sculptures and framed artworks are displayed on stands and panels under warm lighting, with a glossy floor and modern decor visible.

A geometric painting in bold colours—blue, pink, green, black, and white—featuring symmetrical patterns and shapes, hangs on a vibrant red wall. The artist’s signature, Esther Mahlangu, is visible in the lower left corner. A small label is mounted nearby.

A museum gallery with wavy-patterned floors, colourful display walls with framed art, and sculpted wooden pieces on plinths. Soft overhead lighting and a mix of wall colours create a warm, modern atmosphere. The room appears empty of visitors.

InnibosNational Art’s Festival – Legislature Exhibition

Where Indigenous Wisdom Fuels Creative Futures

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